Many of you have been asking for more details on the tablet schedule. We have heard you and we will try to keep you all more informed on how things progress from here as we get closer and closer to the mass production and shipment-start. First, I must emphasize that many parts of the product creation process are done under NDA (non-disclosure agreement), therefore not all the details and specifications can be shared, but I will try to explain as much as I can about the process so far. In addition, building a product involves thousands of components with dependencies. Changing one major component will always have an impact on other components, which mandate also changes to the PCB (printed circuit board). As with new components, there is a certain leadtime involved — from getting the first samples, testing the solution, ordering a larger batch for the proto-build and then finally placing the order for mass production. Depending on the component, leadtime can take up to several weeks as components are not always available on the shelves when selected.
Let’s start from the beginning: the original chain of events started with the display shown at SLUSH 2014 last November. We did not feel that the display was good enough for the product and for you, our contributors.
Not one new display, but two
Hence we began our search for alternative displays, and found one that showed great promise from the sample panel. In terms of specs, it translated to an increase in the contrast ratio from 700 to 1000, as well as luminance from 320 to 420. It should be noted that these are values on paper for the panel before it is laminated with touch foil and glass. As it looked good, we decided to make the change for our next build with that display panel. The build was ready just in time for MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2015, where we showed the Jolla Tablet to the whole world. Despite numerous improvements, this new (second) display had a low yield rate, which manifested as yellow spots on the display, and was again something we could not approve for the product. This issue was investigated closely in the build/lamination process as well as on the panel level, but we were not able to fix it with the panel in question. So, it was time to look for another panel that would have feature parity with this second panel, as going back to the first one was not really an option anymore after seeing the beautiful colors on the second display.
The third display which has similar specifications to the second display was found after a period of searching, however this display has a different display interface – MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) instead of the eDP (embedded Display Port). The difference meant that we had to make changes to the PCB. Intel Baytrail SoC (System on Chip) supports MIPI interface, but that MIPI interface is not capable of providing high enough resolution for our display, thus we had to come up with an alternative solution to this. The identified solution was to add an additional bridge IC (integrated circuit) to the PCB that converts eDP output to MIPI output for the display without losing quality or performance. Furthermore with this PCB change and new display, some mechanical parts required modifications because of the different components.
From this point forward
The build in week 31, from which the Developer loan devices will be sent, is the pre-production batch we referred to in our previous blog post. This will be the first substantial build of devices with the latest configuration, and we are doing final checks on this larger build to ensure that everything is ok before we can start the mass production of Jolla Tablets.
In the meantime, we also did a couple of additional hardware changes. The first one is an issue arising from our internal testing, where the micro-AB type USB connector did not provide proper mechanical protection for users inserting the wrong side of USB cable to the port, so we changed it to the micro-B type connector. Unfortunately we could not go with USB micro-C type connector, due to limited availability. Finally as a bonus to all of you, we added a Hall-sensor which allows accessory covers to turn off the display when the cover is closed.
This is the story so far, and currently some of us are heading to the factory to verify the upcoming pre-production build and devices, with the following schedule:
- July 28th the SMT (Surface-mount technology) will be done for the PCB, which means mounting the electrical components to the PCB
- July 29th testing of the PCB will be executed to verify everything is in order
- July 30th devices will be assembled
- July 31st the assembled devices are packaged
When this is complete, we’ll carry out test shipments of Jolla Tablets to our Developer Program members to verify our logistics chain and for the developers to do some testing/development. We will also be performing our own internal tests for the aforementioned final checks.
We’ll keep you posted if we come up with changes in the above plan & schedule.
Best Regards,
Sage
While an update is welcome this is incredibly technical and difficult to follow. Terms such as “the build in week 31” lack context so rather than clarify unfortunately this post makes things even more opaque. I also fail to see how an NDA applies to Jolla disclosing details of its own product to its customers. It might apply to the supplier / manufacturer but not the other way. A further post written for non technical people would be much appreciated please.
NDA’s can apply in the development processes. Eg the first manufacturer of the display probably does not want them to name them.
I don’t think it’s easily possible to provide a non-technical version of this blog post – this would defeat the sense of the whole thing – lots of people were complaining there was no communication about what exactly the problems were. The problems are technical, so there’s only so much you can say about them without getting into technical language…
Short version: There were problems with the colours in the display (yellow spots) that did not satisfy expectations. It was tried to change something about the production / assembly process, but it turned out to be a problem of the display itself.
The new display shows better colours, but it has a different type of connection (think of something like HDMI plug instead of DVI or VGA on a computer monitor) which was not available (in good quality) on the mainboard that has been chosen for the tablet. So they had to come up with an adaptor to properly connect the new display to the “old” mainboard. This made some additional hardware changes necessary.
Additionally, the USB connector was changed to a more robust one (people who owned a N900 know about problems with that – a lot of connectors just BROKE after some time…).
What kind of context do you need for “the build in week 31”? They are talking about the tablets that are produced in calendar week 31, i.e. this week, starting 27.07.2015 and ending 2.8.2015.
This is quite common talk in business environment where one week is just the right time frame for most schedules, although I must admit it is not common to think in calendar weeks in private life.
+1
Well said!
Regarding NDA: it is quite common to sign mutual NDA’s in both directions – both parties in a purchasing / development / … process might have information that must not be made public by the other party.
I usually refuse to sign any one-way-NDA as a supplier when talking to customers.
Jolla tablet is not 100% designed at Jolla. It is ODM’s (original design manufacturer) design where Jolla only makes some modifications and chooses some parts, like the display. Jolla and the ODM have NDA, where Jolla can’t reveal details of the design.
Hi ninepine, thanks for your feedback! Week 31’s build refers to this week’s build, with the schedule listed towards the end of the blog post.
We strive to make the occasional technical posts somewhat understandable for the general readers (for example, expanding on the acronyms; or perhaps we can include a glossary next time for further explanation), while keeping enough details to satisfy many of those who have requested it. The majority of our blog posts should be palatable for our general (non-technical) readers.
I don’t consider myself technical, and I followed it just fine ๐
Thanks for the update!
Thanks very much for the update.
I’m no Technical expert, but I found it interesting and informative, so feel free to keep us posted at this level of detail.
Regular posting of this kind of information really helps to make us customers\supporters feel more loved & involved with the product!
I bet this is going to be a great piece of technology! keep up the good work! ๐
Cool, thanks for the clear update! Nice insight in the process and your thought/selection process. Looking forward to the device ๐
Sounds good! I’m glad you folks have kept an eye on the durability of the USB port, as that is a sore spot for those of us who remember the Nokia N900. ๐
By the way, does the switch from the AB receptacle to the B receptacle have any effect on USB-OTG support?
as far as i can tell micro-B is what most phones are using. So that should not have any influence on OTG support.
Hi Copernicus,
This USB connector change will not affect to the USB-OTG functionality. You will not be able to use USB type A connectors, but also you will not be able to break your USB port so easily anymore. Also most of the manufacturers have stopped using the AB type and most USB-OTG accessories are type B as well.
Br,
Sage
Great, thanks!
I only wonder how a (USB C) plug may have limited availability. I mean, it’s only a plug and it’s in mass production with other devices (e.g. the N1) already…
+1 Yepp, me too :/ …
The guys of OnePlus say:
“Future-proofed – the OnePlus 2โs charging and data port utilizes the new USB Type-C standard. With a […] cable [that] can be plugged in at either orientation. At both ends.”
USB type C should’ve been considered … unless too expensive for jolla to implement.
Link:
https://oneplus.net/2/technology
I’ve gotta admit, I don’t mind sticking with the B receptacle, as it means I can continue to use all my existing micro-b cords rather than having to go purchase new ones… ๐
me neither, but …. the jolla tablet would’ve been a decent beginning for an introduction ๐
Yeah, type C is really good, would be the obvious port to any high-tech vendor by the end of 2015. If jolla order them 2014 I can’t see how provider can’t come up with 10000. But if they wait last minute Samsung & co would probably order it all for 2-3 years. Well it doesn’t matter really, type B or type C.
What a great post. Thanks for the update. It explains all the hassle from the last weeks in great detail and I have my confidence in Jolla back. Finally I understand what was causing the delay.
Amazing update! Keep it up and deliver the best experience as you were set to do from the day 1 <3 Go Jolla!!
Well, Jolla as the smaller contract partner has to comply to NDA of the manufacturer to take all the blame and not let the bigger partner apear incompetent in case something fails. It is one more detail making Jollas achievement great in the whole, given the circumstances of petrified structures in global hardware market.
Thanks for the update!
I have been very critical of you all not being transparent but I must say this last post is clear as a bell thank you thank you thank
Thanks a lot for this interesting update.
A lot of people have been waiting for exactly this kind of post.
I just hope more people think like me and the criticism towards lack of openness is reduced to minimum (I don’t expect it to disappear completely, you can never do it completely right for some people…).
With this kind of explanation I’m happy to wait (OK not happy, but you know what I mean ๐ ) a few weeks more to get a good product.
+1 Thank you for the detailed post! I hope you can share more information, but i understand that it is not permitted(?) by the NDA.
Please make more pots like this! Thanks again. ๐
Superb post providing lot’s of valuable information, thanks! Values on paper are great:
Contrast 1000:1
luminance 420
Could you yet add the black point value on the lowest brightness settings and and RGB color space graph?
Remember that those values are the panel itself and might be a bit different when the panel is laminated with glass, touch etc. Also on the paper the third display actually has luminance of 460 while contrast stays the same 1000.
I think that some eager community member will do some measurements when the devices are out ;). Anyway, lets see if we could provide more detailed information on the display specs later.
Thanks! What would interest me a lot is the type of laminates to be used, and especially the effect on amount of reflected light with those?
+1
Sage,
Please specify those specs for the 3rd display in the article, you forget to mention them there, you only said:
“The third display which has similar specifications to the second display”
You can also include a disclaimer that they’re not the final specs, & that you’ll provide them when possible.
TY.
Hi MinnowDeckhand,
For the third display the values are following on the paper:
luminance: 460
contrast: 1000
And also note these are values for the display only without lamination with touch and glass.
Br,
Sage
… the contrast ratio of the just presented OnePlus #2 seems to be impressive @ 1:1500 – but a well balanced color rendition is another, IMHO yet more important thing:
once you’ve started taking pictures in AdobeRGB – your hobby is photography as well ๐ – you usually don’t want to return to sRGB. It’s just lacking quite a bunch of vividness due to the absence of all those subtle yet important tonalities …
Thanks for the detailed and informative update….and thanks for not dumbing it down ๐
I can’t agree more on what @lispy @mosen and @casanunda said. This post is great!
Does the micro-ab -> micro-b change mean no USB host?
Ah, I already asked this one above, and got an answer. ๐ In short: no problem, full USB-OTG functionality still present.
Hi bzar, here’s sage’s reply to Copernicus: “This USB connector change will not affect to the USB-OTG functionality. You will not be able to use USB type A connectors, but also you will not be able to break your USB port so easily anymore. Also most of the manufacturers have stopped using the AB type and most USB-OTG accessories are type B as well.”
Absolutely fantastic! Thanks! One more thing, more photos, please ๐
Hi jollakooth, we’ll do our best with photos! For blog images we’ve been using actual tablets (protos) instead of renders.
Wow, what a journey ! And thanks for the insight ๐ …. Hopefully the additional IC will remain insignificant in power consumption.
What do the colorspace-caps of the new display look like ? Towards AdobeRGB ?
+1
Hi launchpad, I checked with sage and he says that currently we don’t have information about colour space to share. If that changes, I’ll let you know ๐
d(-_^)
… just for the sake of curiosity / interest
Thanks for the Hall-sensor – good thinking ๐
T-H-A-N-K-S for the great explanation.
Thanks a lot for this post! I hope these kind of posts will continue in the future, the techies of us among Jolla supporters would greatly appreciate it! Keep up the good work guys!
Very good information, transparency is everything
Jolla! Thank you for coming through! This is the post I had been waiting for. I had been critical of the delays, but now that I understand more clearly it makes a bitter pill much easier to swallow. Keep up the good work! My excitement for the tablet has been restored.
Thanks for the update! It’s interesting to hear what goes into the hardware side of things, and how much work goes into navigating through vendors and components over which you have little to no control.
You guys are just awesome! Keep up the good work. ๐
Great post! I appreciate the people who have hands on the product share some real information within the community, despite the fact they all must be very busy right now. Good luck with assembling and testing!
ไธญๆ็ฟป่ฏ่ฏทๆณ่ฟ้/For Chinese translation pls visit: http://jolla.becomes.today/jolla-tablet-hardware-update/
Good night Jolla ๐
Great update on tech.-issues.Thanks a lot.
Perfect. Keep that kind of blog post coming !
Thank you for the update. Keep up the good work and let’s hope for the good news soon!
Thanks for the update.
Now you’ve added the Hall sensor, will the Lastucase cover be able to trigger it?
From the lastucase jolla tablet page :
“-Wakes and sleeps your Jolla Tablet on open and close (make it work on settings)” (http://lastucase.com/product/lastucase-for-jolla-tablet-pre-order/)
So I would assume that yes ๐
Hi wheelybird and lainwir3d, there will be an option in settings to turn this on. We’re also planning to share more info about accessories on this blog, so stay tuned!
Hello Carol and others!
Just wondering, is there reasoning for having this option? My question is, why would someone want to turn it off?
If you’re only using your tablet at home, I doubt there would ever be a reason to turn it off. However, if you’re using it in a public place, you might not want someone to be able to start using it just by opening the cover… I suppose you could set up the tablet to always require a password when you open the cover, but that seems a bit awkward. ๐
Argh, dunno how to edit comments. Anyway, yeah, I’m being a bit dense here; if your tablet has been physically switched off, the cover should not be able to switch it back on by itself, so my reasoning is flawed here…
Hi Krijali and Copernicus, if you do a search for “how to disable hall sensor”, you’ll find that sometimes people want it off for different reasons. I found DIY docks, magnetic phone mount in car, and working in a high magnetic field environment as some of the reasons people wanted to turn it off. There may be other reasons, so we provide the flexibility ๐
Thanks! ๐
Ahhhhh! I see. That makes sense!
You guys rock. I’m still saving for this great device!
Thx for this very interesting update. I was critical about lack of information and am gratefull now for the given ones.
So i will patiently wait my early bird tablet and look forward for SFOS 2.0 on my phone.
Keep up the good work fellow sailors!!!
Thanks for the great and informative post!
This type of post should be resume in a paragraph and placed in @Carol Chen’s posts, that way it can be regular and transparent to all supporters. (But can still write a once in a will type of tech post!)
Keep up!
Hi laruibasar, that’s a great suggestion, and I was thinking of doing something similar. Update paragraph added to my previous post. Thanks!
Hi carol. Any chance of a hands-on video from a pre-production tablet on this blog anytime soon?
Hi Dave999, I’ll check on the possibility of this, thanks for asking!
Thank you, That is all I’m asking. Rock on!
+1 ! ๐
…. with the splitting up into two jolla companies ahead, I am wondering if both companies will remain committed to staying in close contact with a supportful community โ aka the (social) “other half”.
If so, a technology side equivalent to Carol Chen – thanks for your awesome job so far ! ๐ – may has to be established to avoid communicative blackouts resulting in astonishment or resentfulness as just experienced …. any plans ?
I’m fully committed to working with my counterpart in the new company to maintain and improve the rapport we have with our amazing community! Thanks for appreciating our efforts so far ๐
Thanks for this really interesting post from the coal face! I’ll appreciate the tablet all the more when I get my hands on it.
Thanks!
Other Companys had shipped the original display. You make it better. The waiting time is absolutly okay!
Thanks for this!
USB type c would have been really great though.
I’d gladly wait an additional month for it!
Ha! Yea, totally get the delays now, especially with PCB changes. It’s a wonder it’s not delayed more.
So where does this leave the expected manufacturing and shipping out to everybody else not in the Developer Program?
Carol Chen told in her blog post: “Ramping up for general shipments to contributors will take about 3-5 weeks following the Developer Device program.”
https://blog.jolla.com/jolla-tablet-display-shipping-update/
Thanks for the update! Take all the time you need to finish the product before shipping, no hurry! Love Jolla, and can’t wait to get my first Finnish tablet!
“Intel Baytrail SoC … MIPI interface is not capable of providing high enough resolution for our display”
So, the Baytrail SoC does not provide enough DSI lines and has thus too low _bandwidth_ for the chosen display size? Yeah, no one wants a display that cannot be updated at ~60 fps at least.
It is a good thing that the Z3735F (I think that is the model that they are using) supports eDP/DDIS (Digital Display Interface Signals) in addition to MIPI. This will give enough bandwidth to run the display at the desired resolution.
I am assuming that the issue with MIPI is that they have the board wired for one of the SoC’s 2 channels with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 @ 60 : 24b per channel (though I could be wrong about this). This is in contrast to the chip’s support for DP 1.1 and eDP 1.3 which has a maximum bandwidth of 17.28 Gbit/s. This gives the eDP a maximum resolution of 2560×1600 @ 60 : 24b.
At last….some information! now I could give another chance to the project!
Continue with serious information in real time… and delay will be less disappointing.
This
100% agree. Yes, since it’s a crowdfunding project information is key. Product secondary. They way jolla handle it slightly embarrassing. Hope they learned from it and keeps the info coming in a steady flow..
Thank you . Feels great to hear about third display. Speculated about and people thought I was crazy. Love the whole blog post. Ciao.
Thanks for spending the time to explain things, especially at such a busy time. You’re doing it right – thank you!
Great work Jolla and many thanks for this update! You deserve a success in your business, let’s hope for it.
Thank you very much for the write up. Hopefully Sailfish OS 2.0 becomes a great success so the Taiwanese & Chines ODM’s will be lining up to test their hardware for it soon ๐
Any word on audio part? Will we want to jump of closest bridge when hearing teenager playing modern music full volume on it?
๐ …. according to Carol’s previous block on backers, there currently is a 12% maximum chance age-wise ๐
Hi, this works pretty good, thanks.
I’m really excited about the tablet now. Its funny how much difference a blog post can make – in my head I was drifting towards the (delayed) delivery date not really expecting very much, but now I am just as excited as I was when I made my initial contribution.
I totally understand the issues you’ve faced, and congratulations to the build team for overcoming them! Wow, only a few more weeks to go before the real work begins.. delivery.. its a never ending cycle for you guys. Chapeau!
So happy that finally the community will be able to see the fruits of all the hard work that has gone into this..
Thanks for this update. July 31th is also a good sign.. Day of the full moon !
Thanks for the more transparent update, personally I found myself caught off guard with the last post about switching displays for no apparent reason. Now we have the reason why and more information about other hardware aspects. Too bad about the usb-c connector, I always hated the single direction usb connectors. Maybe you could pair up with znaps http://kck.st/1OdGZ4V ? Sail on !
When I backed the indygogo campaign for the tablet, I did so without any expectation of delivery at any particular time: it was a contribution, not a purchase. I did expect a device at some point, and I still do, recognizing that it may well have rough edges and glitches, the price of using a boutique product instead of a mass-merchandised and prifit driven device. Updates such as this one, and news of the process such as that of the involvement of SSH, allow me an insight into the process and a connection to my device-to-be that is different from that of the alienated disappointment I expect from technology purchases. This one, I will know something about. And with an SDK and Qt and a user community, this one, I will be able to tweak a little and understand a little.
So far so good. I look forward to the next episode.
+1
Thanks for the update.
A few questions:
1. What does limited availability means for the USB micro-C connector? Limited by your supplier, or you mean limited adoption by the users?
2. That MIPI limitation you mentioned is limitation of the SoC, right? And in general, is eDP superior to MIPI, or they are similar features wise?
Thank you for the update, I’m really excited already! I don’t mind the delays, as long as the final quality of the product is right.
Good to hear some technical explanations, I guess the Jolla customer base is (mostly) tech savvy enough to understand what you’re talking about ๐
+1
+1
+1 ๐
Thanks a lot for the detailed update. It brings light into darkness and promotes an understanding of the delay and the problems you have. In am sure that such an update had been enough in the past to spare us a lot of resentment. But better late than never!
All anger is forgotten!
Thanks Sage, I must say after such detailed information about what had been going on all my disappointment, frustration and anger has completely gone away. I will patiently wait for a well built and rigorously tested product.
Thank you very much.
This is better than “we had problems with the display, and it will be late”.
I guess that quite a big share of Jolla supporters are above the average in regards to electronics knowledge, and are mostly technology enthusiasts, therefore this is the kind of post they expect.
For sure is what I expect, since now I do feel much better to know why I have to wait longer.
Again thanks for the transparency, and please keep it like this. From what I read I think almost everybody is willing to forgive delays when they are properly justified.
Consider that we payed for the product in advance, and this is a luxury that not everybody can expect. Meaning that we had a great deal of trust in you.
Cheers ๐
+1
Thanks for this post. I’m glad to see that you are still listening and taking care of your community.
I hope that “communications blackouts” are now part of the past.
Hope to read more about your journey soon !
Best wishes !
Great post! Nice to see that you heard what the community said.
This post, perhaps because it’s a bit technical, really brings the transparency what I’ve been missing. Be brave and unlike.
Thanks!
In the last blog post, people were upset because Jolla was not being exact in the details. Now, Jolla is giving us much more info as they can divulge and have time for, and some are upset that it is too much information and too technical!
This shows that you can not please everybody, Jolla! Do what you do best and do it well, and those that are loyal will love you for it! Ignore the trolls and complainers!
Thanks Jolla for the detailed info!
+1! I hope Jolla continues to do whatever it takes to produce quality software & hardware, and just ignores all the back-seat drivers trying to tell them what to do. ๐
Me also hope jolla do whatever it takes to produce quality & software & hardware, But listen to backseat drivers, fanboys and pther users as well, becouse without customers…the reastart is useless.
Hope for some nice Reading on this blog coming week. Maybe something abort syncentralen between jPhone and jPad?
As with everything in life, it’s a balance ๐ It’s true that we can’t please everyone, but we do listen to feedback and heed the useful ones, while keeping the focus on making quality SW/HW products. Supportive comments are welcome too, naturally, as they spur us on to do better!
I working on a small company myself with HW/SW I know how often stuff not work out as expected :/ Anyway nice to see it going forward ๐
Now I hope you can get some time over and give us a small blog update (or comment) how it worked out this week…
If it did go well or not?
The guys are on their way back to Finland this morning from the factory. They’ve been working all weekend and probably extremely tired, but we’ll work on an update and share it shortly. Thanks for your support mike7b4!
Carol, I have one question? I am about to receive my lastu case as I had ordered it later. They have Itella Posti as their shipping agent & they in India handover to India Post which is a Govt postal and frankly speaking very bad. Who is your shipping Partner? I hope you have DHL or Fedex or some good one. For now I’m just waiting eagerly for my tablet and the wait is just unbearable. Anyway, I want a good product so take your time but not too much.
Hi rahulrai, we’re aiming to use reliable couriers, which may differ depending on the country. I checked with our logistics team and the plan for India is to use DHL. Hope this answers your question!
thanks for this great news !
I was initially enthused by the Jolla Tablet for probably the same basic reason as most of the other supporters. I saw it as an “enthusiast-led” product accessible to customers in a way that Android\Windows\iOS devices can’t be.
I had expected that as a consequence Jolla would keep up a steady flow of News, Information & updates, good & bad about the Tablet and its progress. Sadly this has not (until now) been the case.
Reading “between the lines” here & in Forums, I don’t think I was alone in finding the silence about progress & opacity of what little information was shared, quite alienating. I felt myself turning from enthusiastic Supporter into annoyed Customer….
Your detailed and informative Blog post about the new Display has turned that feeling around 180 degrees. I’m now really looking forward to getting my Tablet and participating with everyone else in the “adventure” that I’d originally signed-up for.
Thank you.
+1
+1
Jolla you need to read this for future reference. Well said Wittgenfrog.
Thank you for the informative update. I only donated to the campaign to see something else come to fruition that would compete against Android and iOS. This is my first exposure to anything Jolla and Sailfish OS, so an update like this can be appreciated without worry that the project may be disbanded. It just gets me more excited. So if the information comes in dribs and drabs, with some background/technical details rather than long delays in communication you can maintain that excitement of the fan/user-base.
About time an update I could get my teeth into. Thanks Jolla and keep the feed coming!
Dear Jolla sailors,
How wonderful it is you start your blog with “We have heard you…” And you actually did listen during this Tablet project. Great!
But could you also please listen on the battery problem we have with our phones? My original battery lasted for a year. I was one of the few who ordered a replacement. That one lasted a little over six months. So alas, warranty was over. Luckily my wife didn’t want the Jolla phone I bought her, so I can still use a Jolla. But could you please supply more spare batteries?
Thanks!
Rob