OK, as an early adopter, I've been mulling this over. More importantly, I've been thinking about what kind of dude Cliff is.
Sorry for long-winded conjecture, but here's some facts/opinions for everyone to consider:
1. Cliff specializes in coding for the axe-fx hardware modeler. It's his baby. As far as I know he didn't code for the MFC or Axe-edit, and IMHO those products reflected that.
2. He doesn't release lesser versions of his modeling/FX hardware. All he's done is release a bigger/better modeling/fx "bomb", not a smaller one.
3. I don't see him letting the genie out of the bottle with a software-only modeler, it'd be cracked and stolen forevermore.
4. Cliff quickly outgrows the hardware he codes for; he reached the limits of the standard and ultra not long after they were released. 2011, 3 years into the Ultra, that fact becomes very important.
5. He outgrows hardware because his thinking and math evolve faster than chips do. He even outgrows his OWN thinking as much & as often as possible.
6. Why? -- because he's relentlessly unsatisfied with his past achievements. Cliff's innovations in sonic math are enough to blow up the guitar world 10 times over. No one has a bigger/better "guitar amp/fx bomb" than Cliff. But his arms race of innovation continues nonetheless.
7. That only means one thing: Cliff is clearly competing with himself, which explains the drop in new firmware updates for current hardware.
8. And whatever he's been coding for, he's very excited about it. Cliff is pumping his fist and falling back in his chair laughing both at what he's achieved and at our collective misery in not knowing what the hell it is.
9. All of this adds up to a singular reality -- apparently, Cliff has outdone himself. But what does THAT mean?
SUMMARY #1:
10. If insights 1-9 are indeed true, then I conclude the Ultra is Cliff's nemesis. It then follows that he has out-done himself and defeated the Ultra through superior weapons power (better math & better hardware).
So that's Cliff -- the story makes no sense inside our current paradigm of product design, marketing and profit margins, but Cliff lives in an alternate reality. Thank god.
Because Cliff shuns typical corporate strategy, everything above points to the possibility that he has NOT created a lesser modeling hardware unit (foot unit, economy unit, hybrid tube combo unit, outboard plugin hardware unit) and has NOT written a software-only product (axe-edit, plugin, axe-fx PC, some new silver-bullet firmware).
That leaves us with few options and the stark possibility that Cliff has been bent on obliterating the Axe-FX Ultra since its release. The Ultra -- a product that sells so well it barely keeps up with demand. Cliff is indeed living an alternate reality.
So what does that mean for the current countdown?
1. Previous product releases were done without fanfare, with limited stock on hand and were often announced before the product even existed. Fractal was plagued with forum whining (self included) for release dates, and upon release, reputation-denting 1/2-year delays perhaps because money and production weren't there for a big inventory.
2. Cliff isn't making that mistake this time -- at least we hope so.
3. If #1 is all we've known, why do a countdown in the first place?
4. The countdown exists because, possibly for the first time, Fractal has sold enough product to invest in producing real inventory of new product. G66 countdown confirms a possible second inventory, already shipped and ready. And more importantly, ready to replace current Ultra orders.
5. We know the countdown is for a big product release -- but -- the countdown could also be a 10-day window, allowing axe-fx users to "prepare" (sell current hardware) and untie themselves from the Fractal railroad tracks before a new Fractal train crashes through them and their precious hardware.
6. Cliff wants to help his customers and this might be his implicit way of doing it: He's run down inventory like anyone would. BUT with demand still strong, Cliff has preserved resale value for us, his loyal following, right up to the last 10 days. AND he's given us a window of time to prepare.
7. I can only conclude the message of help is hiding in the countdown. And that would be a very Cliff-like thing to do.
SUMMARY #2
1. Cliff's personality, product releases, and overall behavior imply he's blown the roof off the Ultra with a bigger/better "bomb".
2. The countdown, unlike previous releases, implies investment in new, non-software inventory, in stock in sufficient numbers to warrant a countdown that creates the buzz required to move enough inventory to re-stock bank accounts depleted by the massive effort.
3. It's so titantic a product, not only has Cliff neglected current hardware to develop it, it warrants a global countdown...a countdown and inventory strategy that helps the current Fractal faithful untie themselves from the fractal railroad (their beloved axe-fx units).
CONCLUSION:
IMHO I say dudes, get off the tracks..............the train is coming!!!
