I-Opener

History

Netpliance introduced the i-Opener in November 1999 at a $99 promotional price. The keyboard had a dedicated key for ordering pizza from participating pizza parlors.

The hardware was sold below cost as a loss leader, with the expectation that Netpliance would recoup the money lost in manufacturing costs via its service plan. Analysts estimated the cost of the hardware to be $300–$400, and Netpliance cited costs of $499. The price was planned to increase to $199 after the promotional period. By modifying the hardware, users were able to load their own software onto the i-Opener, bypassing the need for the subscription service plan. Although this disrupted Netpliance's business model, Netpliance initially welcomed these users, assuming that most customers would not be willing to install custom parts. In April 2000, Netpliance canceled existing orders on its website if buyers refused to accept a $499 termination fee for the service plan. By July 2000, the price of the i-Opener had quadrupled to $400, and Netpliance left the internet device market in January 2002.

References

References

1. Edwards, Benji. (2015-07-08). "How Many of These Weird Internet Appliances Do You Remember?". [[PC Magazine]].
2. Dunn, Ashley. (2000-03-09). "Pumped-Up Appliance or No-Frills Computer? i-opener a Shortcut to Net". [[Los Angeles Times]].
3. Marriott, Michel. (2000-02-10). "For Extra Cheese, Ctrl + Pizza". The New York Times.
4. Salkowski, Joe. (2000-04-24). "Seller of Web Device Gets I-Opener". [[Chicago Tribune]].
5. Harmon, Amy. (2000-03-18). "From Geek Improvisers, a Low-Cost Personal Computer". [[The New York Times]].
6. Oakes, Chris. (2000-04-07). "I-Opener Orders Reneged". [[Wired.com]].
7. (2000-05-10). "I-Opener I-MOD Kits". Netmake Inc..
8. (2000-04-07). "An I-Opening Hack: $200 PC". Lycos Network.
9. (March 20, 2000). "Hardware hack turns Netpliance device into Linux machine".
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11. (2001-05-21). "Tinkering by Vegas man, others, improves tech devices". [[Las Vegas Sun]].
12. Spooner, John G.. (2000-04-06). "I-Opener no longer a $99 Linux PC". [[ZDNet]].
13. . (2001-07-01). ["Netpliance to pay $100,000 fine over computer ads"](https://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Netpliance-to-pay-100-000-fine-over-computer-ads-2043096.php). *[[San Francisco Chronicle]]*.
14. Lewis, Peter H.. (2000-07-13). "NEWS WATCH; Netpliance Is Betting That Less Will Be More". [[The New York Times]].
15. (2002-01-02). "Netpliance quits Web appliance business, slashes jobs".