BTW I'm pretty well versed in getting laser cut and bent sheet metal made, both in China and via US-based providers like SendCutSend - my PicoIDE project uses a metal bracket. In fact when so many other projects were using 3D printed brackets, I decided that was not good enough and dove in and did the work to get nice brackets made affordably. It really elevates the project to a higher level of professionalism.

That being said, $5-$10 sounds about right (if maybe a little on the high side) for something the size of PicoIDE, but unfortunately that is too much for the price point I want to hit. Affordability is a major target for PicoIDE. And also, WiFi is a feature of the front panel and for that reason, metal is a no-go. The WiFi antenna is at the front of the device to give it the best chance of decent reception, so it needs to be plastic.

totally reasonable, the cost tradeoffs on these types of products seems very challenging