I would like to point out something that I think you keep missing. It is based on this statement:
That kind of statement, no matter how accurate, is going to bug people. The reasons are:
There have been lots of variations of that kind of statement
Combined with how a lot of folks don't see the progress, at least not towards shipping, which is what they really care about.
So, they find it irritating. Just something to think about.
Moving on, as we look for next weeks details, what would help (other than giving an actual shipping release, of course):
What are the gating issues? Include anything that, if not improved, would prevent shipping. Even if it is something you expect to be done in a few days (you could turn out to be wrong). After all, if it is fixed quickly, you'll make people feel better when you report that accomplishment.
The hard part is whether there can be any measurable progress given. That can be difficult, depending on details. But if you can do it, it would be welcomed.
Miscellaneous stuff: Is hardware considered to be done - obviously assuming nothing new comes up? If so, have you ramped up production yet so that when the firmware is ready, you have a very high number of units in storage ready for final assembly?
Or maybe more of a generic statement about how long after you initially think you have everything working acceptably. An example might be, "As soon as we think we have the firmware problems solved, we'll continue to test for another X number of days/weeks. If nothing serious comes up during that time, we'll move forward on shipping. It will probably take another X number of days/weeks before the first general release units go out."
This doesn't lock you in to anything since firmware issues is still open-ended. But it gives us an idea of how long it will be to moved from the end of that to actual shipping.
Progress on Android app (or any other OS system)? I don't know what your plans are beyond iOS and android, but I can see a real use to have something for windows, Mac, Linux.