An image from the manufacturing floor.

Which brings me to an important update: despite long hours and hard work we are not going to make our initially anticipated November shipment. That said, I’ve been doing everything I can to move this forward. Even global companies run into delays in production, and the notion that I as a first-time entrepreneur would get it perfect the first time was a bit ambitious. Entrepreneurship = insanity, right? Despite the date change I have not been slowing down and there is a ton of stuff to update you on.

First, I wanted to give you some background on the delay. There are a few reason things are taking longer. One is that we have to ensure we’re complying with Apple’s MFi standards and Bluetooth SIG (the organization that manages the Bluetooth standard) at every step of development. It’s a complicated process and we can’t miss any of the finer details. Another is that the final printed circuit board assembly with the Bluetooth chip is a little bigger than we expected, so the design had to change a bit. Don’t worry, it’s still going to be very close to the SYRE design you already know and love, but the portion with the Bluetooth module is a little larger. We do have images of the working printed circuit board that we’ve finalized and shared with the Kickstarter backers and we will have some working samples ready in November to share as well.

Second, I’m hoping to have some preproduction samples available as early as a few months prior to production for those who simply can’t wait (believe me, I know the feeling), with product officially ready in spring of next year. The difference between the preproduction samples and the final product is the final testing process required by Apple, the Bluetooth standard and our various electronics/wireless interference standards boards. We will have done all of our own internal testing and expect SYRE to pass these tests with flying colors, but their approval is required to ship. I’m working with manufacturing to get as many preproduction samples ready as possible. Specific details of how that will work and how you can help us by providing real world feedback during that period will be available as we get closer.

The revised design of SYRE, taking into account the larger Bluetooth chip, has already been completed, and we’re getting the final engineering prototype (nicknamed the FEP in manufacturing land) done over the next two to three weeks. Once we sign off on the FEP a few weeks after that, in late November we’ll start tooling, which involves creating the molds for full-scale production. While hardware prototyping happens, we’ll be testing our firmware in a little “black box” called the ATS test that Apple provides us with to confirm that our Bluetooth module is communicating properly with the iPod Nano.

We’re also excited to start building out a team of people to work with us. We’re hiring a dedicated engineer for more in-house support on the production side, and once we get SYRE into tooling we’re going to start looking at future products. We’re also talking to multiple investors and networking with other potential business partners that will help us accelerate future plans.

Thank you all so much for your support over these past months. When 2012 began I never thought I’d be touring a production facility in China and getting closer every day to releasing SYRE into the wild when October rolled around. I decided to bring SYRE to Kickstarter because of my own positive experience backing new and interesting ideas. To me, Kickstarter is about embracing innovation and helping creative people make their dreams a reality. I am so grateful for your support and hope to earn your loyalty by providing an amazing product you can be proud of. You make SYRE possible!

As always, let me know if you have any questions (we will do our best to respond in a timely manner, but we are pushing our modest operation to full capacity), and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. For those that already have thank you for your patience as we ramp up our social media presence and for those that haven’t the best is yet to come!

It now appears that only the folks outside of Cupertino truly appreciated the beauty and potential of the iPod Nano watch concept!

In case you missed today’s announcement, it appears that Apple has decided to abandon the square form factor that made the iPod Nano watch so compelling. While somewhat disappointing, this has no affect on our plans to bring SYRE to our Kickstarter project backers and the other 30 million Nano G5/6 users!

If you already own a Nano and are simply waiting to receive your SYRE, we are working hard daily (and nightly) to bring a polished product to you soon. If you are a Kickstarter backer who backed a reward level that included an iPod Nano then you can rest assured that your 6th generation Nano is sitting patiently in my office protected both from the “all-knowing” Apple product road map engineers and from Miles, our resident furry four-legged Lion Hound (aka Employee #2).

If you do not currently own a 5th or 6th generation Nano, however, then:

1) Stop what you are doing right now (yes that includes reading this post) and search the Internet for one while the on-hand stock still exists. Our guess is that unit counts are going to start decreasing rapidly for this newly anointed cult classic. This way you will be ready when SYRE hits the street.

2) Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our Newsletter so that you are among the first to know when SYRE is released to the general public.

3) Tell your friends!

Then rinse and repeat…

We believe in the future of the smart fitness watch and look forward to continuing to define the concept and form factor. In the future, if and when it makes sense to follow trails that Apple has laid—as is the case with the 5th and 6th generation iPod Nano’s—we will continue to create incredible fitness-focused Apple accessory products.

No matter what happens, Lion Hound Technology will keep blazing its own trail in order to bring our customers innovative and wearable fitness technology that enhances the way we live, work and play.

Live life unleashed!