No, a ponzi scheme is a very specific thing. They wouldn't produce anything at all and just pay out proceeds to the initial purchasers based on money collected from later purchasers.

Using pre-order money to develop a product is not what I would call good business practice, but it's not a ponzi scheme and it's not even illegal. See Kickstarter for a popular example of this sort of business practice.

And no, I don't think they'll make their release date. I'm personally not willing to pre-order anything, least of all Bitcoin mining equipment.