IPAD-OS

The Official
Russ Wilson
IPAD 3.0 Upgrade plan.

Please note that this isn't an attempt to set a dollar figure on the value of the software. I can't do that. The value of the software is many times higher than what any of us will pay for it. That's because the coding team devoted hundreds if not thousands of unpaid hours to this upgrade. For that we are all tremendously, deeply in their debt. Because of their efforts, we are in a situation where instead of having to focus on what the software should cost, we can focus only (at least for right now) on what we owe.

With that as an introduction, here's the official proposal. READ THIS CAREFULLY! There are a number of contingent things in it; there are no guarantees of any kind for the future.

Here's where the IOA is right now:

The 3/15/2002 date is an arbitrary date just to reflect the fact that whatever plan we agree on, it will take some time to collect all the money for the upgrades.

In addition to the debt that we have to retire, we are going to have some development costs for continued work by the coding team. In other words, we have to raise cash. This proposal will do it, but only if enough people commit to it to make it work. So here's the proposal:

Paragraphs 1-4 of the following offer are for CodeSIG members only. Paragraph 5 is for all Associate and Charter IOA members.

1. Upgrade Now. The cost to upgrade a model 5000 to 3.0 is $300. The cost to upgrade a 1200 or 2500 will be $250.
2. Invest in the future. Anyone who buys the upgrade now at $300/$250 has the right to buy the next upgrade IF AND WHEN IT COMES OUT for $200 (model 5000) or $175 (model 1200 or 2500), provided they pre-pay for it right now. If you don't pre-pay for it right now with this upgrade, it will cost whatever the board chooses at the time. That might be $300 then; it might be $500; it might be $1,000. The point is, if you don't pay for it now, you take your chances later.
   
   Now then, here's an important point. If you pre-pay for the upgrade right now, it DOES NOT guarantee that a future upgrade will come out. The chances are very good that one will, and the coding team plans to start working on one as soon as they recover from the 3.0 release, but they could all get hit by a bus next week. They could get burned out and quit. A million things could happen. The point is there's no guarantee. So, to cover any potential danger, here is the official line: If a further upgrade (beyond 3.0) is not released within the next 18 months, your pre-payment will be considered a donation to the IOA free and clear of any right or entitlement on your part. No funds raised will be returned to any member under any circumstances.
   
   That having been said, the original $600 CodeSIG investment was a much bigger leap of faith with a lot greater risk. Plus, $300 for 3.0 plus $200 for the next upgrade IF it comes out is STILL a better deal than the previously proposed price ($600 for 3.0 now, plus no credit at all toward the cost of the next upgrade).
3. Not For Resale (NFR) versions. If you want to upgrade your NFR to version 3.0 it will cost you $100. It will stay an NFR, and it will be version 3.0. If you pay $150 instead, you will get the 3.0 upgrade AND it will become a full, unrestricted license that you can do anything you want to with. However, you CANNOT upgrade an NFR license in any way by itself. You can ONLY upgrade the NFR if you also purchase the upgrade for an unrestricted model 1200, 2500 or 5000 license as well. As for future upgrades, you get the same basic offer on your NFR that you get on your regular license. You can pre-pay for the next upgrade now (IF one comes out) for $200, or you can pay whatever the price may be at the time if you wait until later. As before, pre-paying now does NOT guarantee that another upgrade will come out.
4. Membership Dues. In order to get the above prices, everyone who upgrades has to include the money for this year's IOA dues along with the money they send for the upgrade. The dues will be $125 for everyone, regardless of voting rights, Charter/Standard status, etc. Right now we are 7 months into the IOA's 2001-2002 fiscal year. If you buy an upgrade and pay your $125 dues now, you will get next year for free. If you don't buy an upgrade and pay your dues now, you will soon be getting a bill from the board for $200 ($100 for this year's dues plus $100 for next year's dues. You CANNOT get next year free just by paying just $125 now. You can only get this deal in conjunction with an upgrade right now.
5. Associate and Charter Member Upgrades. Those people who are non-CodeSIG Charter members will have to pay $650 (model 5000) or $375 (model 1200 or 2500) for the 3.0 upgrade; Standard Associate members will pay $750 or $400 (depending on the model). They can pre-pay for the next upgrade (IF it comes out) for $450/400 or $550/500 respectively.

The money raised from dues payments will go toward development costs and other expenses.

How does this compare to what was first proposed? Under the original plan, you could pay $600 to upgrade a regular 5000, or $900 to upgrade your 5000 and your NFR (Not For Resale). It stayed an NFR, and you got no credit of any kind toward the next upgrade. You also owed for the last 7 months of dues (even though they haven't been billed yet) plus next year's dues too.

Under the proposed plan, here's what you can get if you want it:

Instead of paying $600 to upgrade one 5000 to v 3.0, you paid $600 to upgrade both your 5000 and your NFR, and you've already paid for the next upgrade for your 5000 (if and) when it comes out. Your dues are also paid through the end of fiscal 2002-2003. If you REALLY want a good deal, try this out:

And for people that own multiple IPADs, think what an INCREDIBLE deal you will be getting!

Place your order today. Visit the order center for more information.