Atom now delayed until May?

hi all,

The new Uniti range is our biggest release in over fifteen years and we are really proud of all the work that has gone into crafting this revolutionary new product range. Due to the technical complexity of Uniti we have faced more challenges than we initially anticipated and we still have some features to refine to ensure the products that reach you are of the highest possible quality.

We are currently processing certifications for AirPlay, GoogleCast, TIDAL, Bluetooth (aptX HD), WiFi, HDMI and Spotify Connect  and beta testing our latest software; the team is working extremely hard to ensure that the products stand up to the level of quality you have come to expect from Naim.

As such we have made the difficult decision to delay shipping Uniti Atom until May with Uniti Star and Uniti Nova following in June.

We have been reviewing all customer feedback from the Uniti Core servers shipped in 2016, and made the decision to stop shipping after Christmas, to ensure we have fixed any software issues before shipping en masse. We are expecting a firmware update next week, and an over-the-air update will be available via the app for those who have already received their Uniti Core servers.  Shipping will re-commence next week as soon as the firmware is available and tested.

We know the delay is frustrating and sincerely apologise for it. Thank you for your continued support and patience while we put the finishing touches on your Uniti.

Trev

feeling_zen posted:

Anto68 posted:

Ian Austen posted:

Klout10 posted:

DUPREE posted:

Why would you want to get stuck with buying obsolete product right before it is deprecated.

Nothing wrong with a SuperUniti, when eventually the Uniti Nova will be released the SuperUniti will not sound any less 

I have considered long and hard about getting a used previous generation Uniti, however Naim does not publish a roadmap of how (or if) they will support them with firmware upgrades and for how long. For example if Spotify or Tidal make any changes to their API, a firmware upgrade may need to be made.

These things can get obsolete pretty quickly if they are not supported with firmware upgrades...

I do not see a reason why Naim should leave obsolete products like a SU, UQ2 or NDX and let them out just for only a firmware release. It would not even be honest to all those who have spent money in Naim.

If this really happens, I'll sell my SU and look to other. The hi-fi market offers many alternatives

On what planet are the SU, UQ2, or NDX obsolete?

I gave my opinion on what has Ian Austen wrote. Perhaps you have not read the quote

Its official, May for the Atom, June for the Star & Nova...

 https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...43#69004037633332343

Disappointing, but personally I think its a good move to delay the launch and have the unit’s bugs fully addressed and resolved before customers receive their equipment. Although - very frustrating for loyal Naim users who have already committed financially to the new products and sold on their existing equipment. 

At last, an explanation from Trevor regarding the delay. Thanks for this.

I sort of understand the need to update the firmware in the light of Core user feedback and can just about get my head around the late discovery that some features need refining. A significant technical advance of this type can of course throw up one or two glitches that could not reasonably be predicted or discovered from testing. But am I reading this correctly? Has the new Uniti range been officially launched before certifications for AirPlay, GoogleCast, TIDAL, Bluetooth (aptX HD), WiFi, HDMI and Spotify Connect have been finalised? If so then that is unprofessional and a little worrying.

nigelb posted:

At last, an explanation from Trevor regarding the delay. Thanks for this.

I sort of understand the need to update the firmware in the light of Core user feedback and can just about get my head around the late discovery that some features need refining. A significant technical advance of this type can of course throw up one or two glitches that could not reasonably be predicted or discovered from testing. But am I reading this correctly? Has the new Uniti range been officially launched before certifications for AirPlay, GoogleCast, TIDAL, Bluetooth (aptX HD), WiFi, HDMI and Spotify Connect have been finalised? If so then that is unprofessional and a little worrying.

Pending certifications will just be for the as yet unreleased components in the range.

"But am I reading this correctly? Has the new Uniti range been officially launched before certifications for AirPlay, GoogleCast, TIDAL, Bluetooth (aptX HD), WiFi, HDMI and Spotify Connect have been finalised? If so then that is unprofessional and a little worrying."

I am no expert on this sort of certification, but I believe they have to be in place for when the product ships, not when it is announced.

Core doesnt have any of those features and it has shipped? Atom will, of course, but it hasnt shipped?

Fair enough, but the Atom was due to ship this month up until the delay advice (via dealers I might add) a couple of days ago. Indeed some customers were told late Dec/Jan as they were putting their deposits down if we read an earlier posting on here. Surely Naim would need the certifications in place before giving that timeline and clearly they were not in place.

jon honeyball posted:

I am no expert on this sort of certification, but I believe they have to be in place for when the product ships, not when it is announced.

This is certainly similar for Aircraft Engines - and Aircraft. 

So if I am reading this correctly the May date is not set in stone as the required certification approval is to be decided by a third party. I will not be shocked if this deadline is missed as the release date has been moved twice already.

This does seem to be a big oversight, when I paid my dealer spoke to Naim who would have known the deadline was unrealistic but didn't indicate this. I paid in Mid November half a year until release seems Madness. I could buy two houses quicker than it takes the Atoms to be ready for release. Leaves me with the feeling I have been misled. 

Sam

But why would you put a deposit down on something you'd not even heard? I'm sure you can get it back if you want. Naim have clearly come up with unexpected issues that were not known when the initial dates were set. Anyone who has worked on software projects will know the challenges. 

The Atom has been demo'ed on several occasions, I heard it at the Hammersmith show in early Nov I think. It sounded good, looked good, appeared user friendly and answered my needs, so I ordered one. Simple as that...but of course I, along with everyone else who have ordered them, can get their money back now and buy something else

Yes I also heard the Atom at the hi if show last year and liked what I heard, hence why I sold my UnitiQute/NAP100 setup and was eager to put the Atom in their place. A Christmas present to myself if you will. Now it looks like quite the wait still to go. Yes I could get my money back. Thing is, the Atom is exactly what I was looking for in an upgrade. So I'm a bit stuck now till May.

Now its time to reimagine your old Nait and turntable out from the closet

Hungryhalibut posted:

But why would you put a deposit down on something you'd not even heard? I'm sure you can get it back if you want. Naim have clearly come up with unexpected issues that were not known when the initial dates were set. Anyone who has worked on software projects will know the challenges. 

Will freely admit I took a punt and bought blind. Partly due to trusting Naim as a brand and partly due to impulse it looks nice and new and should be futureproof etc. Also figure it had good resale value.

I was more expressing that I now feel mistrustful of the whole situation, just because I have been told of the error doesn't mean I shouldn't express disappointment, as ultimately I am spending my hard earned cash which keeps Naim in business. 

Obviously a refund will be sought just complicated as it has already been cleared off the credit card used to pay for it and I am without a UQ2 now. Seems reasonable grounds for complaint to me. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

.......... Anyone who has worked on software projects will know the challenges. 

As anyone who has worked with the Marketing Department will know........

Or, as Nelson (Mintz) would say to Bart " Ah Ha!"

KR, J

Trevor Wilson posted:

hi all,

The new Uniti range is our biggest release in over fifteen years and we are really proud of all the work that has gone into crafting this revolutionary new product range. Due to the technical complexity of Uniti we have faced more challenges than we initially anticipated and we still have some features to refine to ensure the products that reach you are of the highest possible quality.

We are currently processing certifications for AirPlay, GoogleCast, TIDAL, Bluetooth (aptX HD), WiFi, HDMI and Spotify Connect  and beta testing our latest software; the team is working extremely hard to ensure that the products stand up to the level of quality you have come to expect from Naim.

As such we have made the difficult decision to delay shipping Uniti Atom until May with Uniti Star and Uniti Nova following in June.

We have been reviewing all customer feedback from the Uniti Core servers shipped in 2016, and made the decision to stop shipping after Christmas, to ensure we have fixed any software issues before shipping en masse. We are expecting a firmware update next week, and an over-the-air update will be available via the app for those who have already received their Uniti Core servers.  Shipping will re-commence next week as soon as the firmware is available and tested.

We know the delay is frustrating and sincerely apologise for it. Thank you for your continued support and patience while we put the finishing touches on your Uniti.

Trev

Should this have not been done before launch, so that you are launching a "product" rather than a "prototype" particularly when a release date is specified? The publicity you have/will receive is not particularly positive, and not the first time this has happened. It seems the standard procedure upon launch of one of your new products, and one that is so easily rectified.

Hungryhalibut posted:

But why would you put a deposit down on something you'd not even heard? 

Sorry, is this not allowed? Does that make the customer in the wrong?

Exactly ! Of course one can buy something unheard/unseen ! In the world of luxury goods, sports cars, high end watches etc lots of people put down money for the latest models without ever having seen the finished product, much less tried it...

The interesting thing about this thread is the apologist leanings..I can fully understand how dye in the wool Naimists defend their brand - and don't get me wrong, I like Naim, have owned it in the past and was hoping to get my Atom in a few weeks time - but in the cold light of day, this is simply poor marketing and poor communications. My dealer wasn't even told of the delays until I informed him of it earlier today, culled from this very forum - presumably some lessons are being learned at HQ in time for the next new product launch

My dealer called today and updated me that the uniti core they were promised this week is delayed until at least next week. That in itself is not a huge issue, but the dealer is doing the chasing up of Naim, if they did not bother there would be nothing from Naim? It's a shame they appear to be spoiling their good reputation by poor communication, learning about issues on the forum is just not good enough.

DomTomLondon posted:

Yes I also heard the Atom at the hi if show last year and liked what I heard, hence why I sold my UnitiQute/NAP100 setup and was eager to put the Atom in their place. A Christmas present to myself if you will. Now it looks like quite the wait still to go. Yes I could get my money back. Thing is, the Atom is exactly what I was looking for in an upgrade. So I'm a bit stuck now till May.

Tell your dealer that if he lends you a Unitiqute to tide you over, you won't ask for your money back.

Kermit posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

But why would you put a deposit down on something you'd not even heard? 

Sorry, is this not allowed? Does that make the customer in the wrong?

Accepting of the risk is how I'd term it.  

It might be taken by Naim as a lesson that when they actually deign to give us some information on the forum the threads that can only cause bad publicity tend to stop as this one has.

Whilst I can understand reticence to reply to every individual query when there is a pretty major problem with the timing of the release of  "the biggest launch in 15 years", the reticence is self defeating.

I guarantee you the core vs uniti rip thread would die a death if Naim said, "there is an issue, there will be a software update that will sort it".

.SJB

While I am very disappointed with this significant delay, there is a silver lining. Those of us who, like me, preordered and paid the deposit in 2016 will get their new Uniti at a considerable discount relative to the RRP in May/June, especially if Naim again raise their prices in April. If it hadn't been for this, i might have cancelled my pre-order and bought a used unitilite or superuniti instead. 

Wow, a voice from the grave.