We acknowledge that we had our doubts regarding the future of the Pono format when Neil Young unveiled the first PonoPlayer. We had no doubt that the music format would sound superior to existing digital formats, but we suggested on Monday that few people would be willing to shell out $399 for a new device (when they already have an iPod, regardless of quality), plus be willing to buy entire albums versus track-by-track as iTunes allows.
Young began taking preorders via Kickstarter on Tuesday, and it seems that there's certainly enough interested parties to at least get the company off the ground. The rate at which the devices sold suggest there's more than enough interest. Young and PonoMusic set a deadline at April 15 to raise the goal amount of $800,000, but they managed to get it all within 24 hours of its unveiling at SXSW.
The basic model was offered at a slight discount, but Young had a number of draws to attract customers, as if the promise of a superior audio experience wasn't enough. A number of the devices featured digital signatures from embers of Arcade Fire, The Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam. Young's signature was etched on 500 limited edition versions of the machine, which went for at least $400. Young got a number of his pals from the music industry to take part in a promotional video for the service: David Crosby, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Eddie Vedder saluted Pono's sound quality.
No word on how soon you'll be able to see PonoPlayers in regular retail locations. We're cynical, so we'll opine that the first round of Kickstarter buyers probably doesn't suggest there's a huge market for the device, but it seems there's at least enough to keep it in business until the rest of the world quits buying nice headphones and starts buying nice audio players.
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