Shipments for Superbook smartphone laptop dock delayed until June 2017

People who backed the Kickstarter campaign for the Superbook smartphone laptop dock will have to wait a few months longer to get it in their hands. The team behind the product, Andromium, have announced that the first shipments have been delayed from February to June 2017.

The fundraising campaign for the Superbook began earlier this year, as the team promised to release a $99 laptop shell that can connect to an Android smartphone via a micro-USB cable or a USB Type-C reversible cable. It would allow its owners to use their phone like a Windows or Chromebook notebook. The Kickstarter campaign ended up with close to $3 million in funding, well above its original goal.

However, this week, the Kickstarter page for the Superbook campaign posted word that the dock would not be coming out in February as scheduled.  Andromium had a number of reasons for the delay, including the fact that the initial component quotes from its vendors were higher than anticipated. The team stated it is now in talks with other vendors in order to get lower prices.

The team also said that it got feedback from manufacturing experts that the Superbook will need to be modified so that it is easier to make. The good news is that the team claims these changes will make the dock’s shell “sleeker and more premium, with an even better surface feel.”

In order to make up for the four-month shipping delay, Andromium will send all backers a code that will take $25 off the price of any current or future Superbook products. That code can be used as many times as needed and will not expire, and the same code can be shared with friends for up to 10 units for each calendar year. Also, the team will now be paying for all of the Superbook customs and VAT fees for all of its backers.

Are you still disappointed the Superbook launch has been delayed, even with the team’s explanation and compensation offers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!