XDO Tech is a start-up credited with drumming up enthusiasm for mini PCs with its Pantera-series cube containing all the power of a conventional, albeit Gemini Lake-powered, desktop. It is rated to drive a 4K UHD monitor at full resolution, and, as the OEM keeps saying, "more USB ports than the competition".

Now, the start-up has updated its backers as to how far it has gotten in making the Pico PCs they have ordered as a Kickstarter reward. It has engaged production lines in China in order to do so, which will now be closed until about mid-February 2022 for the New Year festival.

However, prior to this event, XDO Tech claims that these factories have managed to get the plastic components necessary to make the Pico PCs made or molded. In addition, the ribbon cables, connectors and wireless antennae required are now ready to go. Most importantly, however, the signature CNC-machined chassis is now ready to go, as are the fans custom-designed to fit into it.

XDO Tech has also now validated the SSDs (which go up to 1TB in size) for use in these units, as well as their OS and BIOS. It notes that it should start on their PCBAs when the factories are back open. The OEM might be in a position to start assembly and packaging thereafter, resulting in a target shipping date of mid-February.

Meanwhile, the OEM has announced that the InDemand stage of its Indiegogo campaign, as signalled earlier, is about to begin soon. Its Pico PCs remain at early-bird prices (which start at ~US$159 for one with 4GB of RAM; correct at time of writing); however, once those units run out, the price might go up.

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