OnePlus One Now Available For Everyone, OnePlus 2 Flagship Coming In Q3 2015
OnePlus turned a lot of heads last year when it announced the OnePlus One, a $299 (16GB) or $349 (64GB) off-contract handset with high-end hardware and features. The only problem was, you needed an invite to get one. Fast forward to now, a year after the phone's debut, and the OnePlus One no longer requires an invite, nor will it ever again.
"That’s right. In our first big celebration of the One’s successful year, we are opening up sales globally for everyone, every day of the week," OnePlus stated in a blog post. "We have always wanted to put great products into the hands of more people. And, we now feel confident that we have matured enough to handle the increased complexity that comes along with opening up sales completely."
OnePlus is better equipped to handle larger orders, both in terms of workforce (the company now has over 700 employees) and experience (it's sold and shipped over 1 million OnePlus One handsets worldwide to date). The company is also presumably more mature and PR savvy, having learned that sexist promotions aren't the way to sell a product. That lesson was learned when OnePlus offered female fans a chance to skip the invite line by participating in its Ladies First contest, which required sending a pic of themselves (with the OnePlus logo clearly visible), while forum members would vote on the "50 most well-liked ladies." Oh, and "no nudity, please." The contest was ultimately (and predictably) cancelled.
More recently, OnePlus learned not to offer specific release dates for Cyanogen OS builds, especially when the Cyanogen team doesn't know when it's going to be finished with a specific ROM. So suffice to say, it's been a crazy year for OnePlus.
What will the next year bring? Probably less missteps and more tantalizing products, like the OnePlus 2, which is slated to release in the third quarter of this year. Like the OnePlus One, the OnePlus 2 will initially be made available on an invite-basis.
In the meantime, not only is the OnePlus One now available for all, but for 24 hours, the company is offering a 75 percent discount on OnePlus Flip Covers and Premium Screen Protectors, And while supplies last, you can snag a Bamboo StyleSwap cover without an invite.
"That’s right. In our first big celebration of the One’s successful year, we are opening up sales globally for everyone, every day of the week," OnePlus stated in a blog post. "We have always wanted to put great products into the hands of more people. And, we now feel confident that we have matured enough to handle the increased complexity that comes along with opening up sales completely."
OnePlus is better equipped to handle larger orders, both in terms of workforce (the company now has over 700 employees) and experience (it's sold and shipped over 1 million OnePlus One handsets worldwide to date). The company is also presumably more mature and PR savvy, having learned that sexist promotions aren't the way to sell a product. That lesson was learned when OnePlus offered female fans a chance to skip the invite line by participating in its Ladies First contest, which required sending a pic of themselves (with the OnePlus logo clearly visible), while forum members would vote on the "50 most well-liked ladies." Oh, and "no nudity, please." The contest was ultimately (and predictably) cancelled.
More recently, OnePlus learned not to offer specific release dates for Cyanogen OS builds, especially when the Cyanogen team doesn't know when it's going to be finished with a specific ROM. So suffice to say, it's been a crazy year for OnePlus.
What will the next year bring? Probably less missteps and more tantalizing products, like the OnePlus 2, which is slated to release in the third quarter of this year. Like the OnePlus One, the OnePlus 2 will initially be made available on an invite-basis.
In the meantime, not only is the OnePlus One now available for all, but for 24 hours, the company is offering a 75 percent discount on OnePlus Flip Covers and Premium Screen Protectors, And while supplies last, you can snag a Bamboo StyleSwap cover without an invite.
