The Elevation Dock.
UPDATE: The Elevation Dock hit that $1 million mark.
ORIGINAL POST: A year ago, Apple fans were largely responsible for the breakout Kickstarter hit that broke the half million dollar mark in only four days, a record at the time. That project, for the twin iPod Nano watches, ended up falling short of a mil ($942,578). But the Elevation Dock for iPhone, with just 54 hours to go, now holds the record for most money pledged on Kickstarter with $974,345 from 9,006 backers.
The Elevation Dock is a simple but well-made accessory that will retail for $79. Why has it inspired so many donors to write checks? Lots of endorsements from Apple celebrities including John Gruber and M.G. Siegler gave the project a big boost; press coverage also helped it along. (Gizmodo: “I’m tempted to buy an iPhone just so I can use the Elevation Dock.”)
“Undocking is difficult, many aren’t designed to work with cases, they are lightweight, and are generally made as a cheap afterthought accessory,” Casey Hopkins, a Portland, Ore. designer, wrote in the project description. Mr. Hopkins is the founder of ElevationLab, an industrial design and mechanical engineering firm. He originally asked for $75,000.
In the era of blood iPhones, the Elevation Dock will also be guilt-free: the product will be “machined and assembled in Oregon.”
Kickstarter’s greatest hits include a desktop 3D printer ($830,837); a bailout for the film “Blue Like Jazz” ($345,992) and the band Five Iron Frenzy’s new album ($207,980).
Adrianne Jeffries is the editor of Betabeat. Follow Adrianne on Twitter or via RSS. ajeffries@observer.com
