Ubuntu Edge. 32,000,000 Goal on IndieGoGo.

[firewalker]

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge



Alexander.

[tom66]

Call me skeptical.

A smartphone with a 1GHz processor is going to be sluggish for a modern computer -- compare Raspberry Pi for example.

Why build a custom smartphone instead of using an existing platform or partnering with another manufacturer?

[Stephen Hill]

Where did you get 1Ghz from? The spec simply says "Fastest multi-core CPU".

[Bored@Work]

Why build a custom smartphone instead of using an existing platform or partnering with another manufacturer?

Because no one wants Canonical's Unity rubbish.

Just like Microsoft they have this vision of having one desktop UI on all devices - desktop PCs, phones, tablets should all run Unity. Just like Microsoft they implemented a phone/tablet UI on desktop computers. Just like Windows' Metro their Unity is failing on the desktop. However, unlike Microsoft, they were not able to coerce a phone manufacturer like Nokia into bringing their rubbish UI to a phone.

So they decided they need to do it on their own. For whatever reason,  too fugal or really not having the money, they turned to crowdfunding in search of a large bunch of idiots funding this.

For those considering "investing" in it, remember OpenMoko!

[firewalker]

Don't forget Mir! 

Alexander.

[tom66]

Where did you get 1Ghz from? The spec simply says "Fastest multi-core CPU".

Oh, I was assuming that it was a low power processor. In which case, I guess the battery life is abysmal.

[Rasz]

4GB ram :DDDDD

not kickstarter because they dont have ANYTHING to show
+ you can see how their magic UI is dropping frames in the presentation video (1:30 I think, dont remember now and dont want to rewatch this garbage) - I pointed this out on YT and my post got deleted

[Bored@Work]

Don't forget Mir! 

Oh yes, and that one, too. Once they have Mir below Unity they can take the whole graphic system closed-source and try to squeeze some money out of it.

[dr.diesel]

Oh yes, and that one, too. Once they have Mir below Unity they can take the whole graphic system closed-source and try to squeeze some money out of it.

That sure seems to be the direction, it would be their end, most would jump ship.

[EEVblog]

Why build a custom smartphone instead of using an existing platform or partnering with another manufacturer?

To think you can build a quality modern smartphone without using an existing manufacturer is probably a tad crazy.
And given the ubiquitous nature of smart phones now, people expect a certain quality standard.

[Corporate666]

The guy in the video is Mark Shuttleworth who was the founder of Thawte (digital certificates) that he sold to Verisign and earned around $600 million. 

He has MORE than enough money to finance this completely by himself ten times over if he wanted to. 

Of course, as a smart businessman, he knows you never use your own money to get rich - you use other people's  

But he did very little - as in nothing - to talk about his company, Canonical, and why they will be able to pull of this idea.  $32 million is really not all that much money when you are talking about an extremely high-end mobile device, and you have to make and sell them for that... so it's not like it is a $32 million R&D budget. 

He is pretty up front about his goal though... get enough pre-orders so the viability of the device is proven for the phone manufacturers so that they will be willing to take a flyer on your OS.  I don't see it happening.  He didn't present enough of a value proposition to anyone other than the open-source nuts.  But the open source nuts already have Android.... so he's really pitching to the Ubunto open source nuts.  Are there enough of them to drop $32MM on a to-be-designed phone?  I doubt it.  And even if there were, $32MM in sales is chicken feed to someone like Samsung.  Canonical is looking for $32MM - about 38,000 sales.

Samsung sells that many phones every hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Samsung just reported 71 MILLION phones sold this past quarter.  If Canonical gets their 38k sales, it's most definitely not a sure thing that any of the big phone companies are going to start making Ubunto phones.

[tanstaafl]

The guy in the video is Mark Shuttleworth who was the founder of Thawte (digital certificates) that he sold to Verisign and earned around $600 million. 

He has MORE than enough money to finance this completely by himself ten times over if he wanted to. 

mmm, wouldn't surprise me if some anonymous donor chip in the last 10-15 million dollars at the last minute to get this funded 

[Smokey]

The big problem with a small run of phones like this is that it's incredibly complicated and there isn't a big enough user base to justify initial production revisions and ongoing bugfixes and upgrades.  Welcome to the world of being a beta testing guinea pig.  If there is an artwork problem on the PCB do you think they are going to send you a whole new phone?  What about when some part of the OS starts acting "quirky".  How long will it be supported.  I know the major manufactures are pretty bad about this sometimes, but I can't see this being any better.  And just because the OS is open source doesn't necessarily mean someone will fix some issue you are having.

It is interesting that a big(ish) corporate entity is trying this through and it's not just some guys in their garage that think hardware is easy.  I guess they might have done a little bit of homework first, so who knows......

[EEVblog]

It is interesting that a big(ish) corporate entity is trying this through and it's not just some guys in their garage that think hardware is easy.  I guess they might have done a little bit of homework first, so who knows......

I think I might be more afraid of a bigger entity that "might have done a little bit of homework" than the little guy with a big dream and no clue.

[reubot]

Don't forget Mir! 

Alexander.

And upstart and bazaar. To be honest, this seems to their modus operandi: use something different just for differences sake.

[bitwelder]

Don't forget Mir! 

Alexander.

And upstart and bazaar.

And Unity. Your widescreen monitor is now your tablet.  Because Mark decided it for you.

[Rasz]

You need to remember that Ubuntu is the only Linux that sends your local disk searches down to their HQ server so they can sell this info to FB/Amazon/NSA/whoever they wish. Windows 8.1 added that same feature recently.

Then you have non existing prototype and some preliminary demo UI fragments from the company known for announcing big partnerships with industry giants, partnersips that either never materialize or end up being $1500 ubuntu laptop while same hardware with windows costs $900.

40K units wont interest big players, so they are left with HTC and down. Maybe some small chinese tablet/phablet manufacturer will make them $250 phones using $20 Mediatek chips.

Its a very smart move by Shuttleworth, he does to crowdfunding what Microsoft did to Nokia - outsources all the risk while reaping all the profits. Of course Nokia is almost bankrupt now subsidizing 20% of every phone they sell just to sell something. Microsoft couldnt do the same for Surface - they didnt have inside man, a mole or a spy if you will, in any Tablet manufacturer company like they did in Nokia, this ended up costing them 900 Million dollars in write-offs on hardware nobody wants.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/07/18/microsoft-takes-900-million-writeoff-on-struggling-surface-tablet/

Shuttleworth is too smart to risk his own money making phones nobody wants, he rather copy Microsoft-Nokia model.

[tom66]

$5.6 million, impressive.

I'd at least expect schematics to be released. Maybe not board diagrams, because those can be used to make carbon copies, but schematics enable a good degree of "hackability". But given how closed Canonical actually is, I doubt it will happen.

[ataradov]

Here is a graph showing dynamics of the contributions: http://movebits.net/2013/07/23/ubuntu-edge-funding-level/. There is no way they will make 32M unless they keep dropping the price down like this. Or Mark will pitch in at the last moment.

[reubot]

New Statesman has picked up on the fact he can afford it himself.

[notzippy]

Interesting that Bloomberg has plunked down $80K for the enterprise pack.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge/x/1733288?c=activity

Regarding previous article yes he could afford to build it but this is not the intent. They are not selling this on the shelves. They want that many devices in the hands of the people. This is a research of putting your money were your mouth is. If there are enough people to put up then they will make it. If not they won't. They are not making extras for after the campaign ends - if you want show the cash if not then don't.

Nz

[ataradov]

At this point it is quite obvious that it won't reach the goal, so putting $80,000 is a low risk marketing ploy.

[bitwelder]

Now they have lowered the threshold saying "Ubuntu Edge now $695, thanks to major industry backing".

Considering all the changes in the perks I'm of the opinion that the whole project is only an elaborate marketing exercise to test how much people is willing to pay for an exotic, top-of-the-range phone.

[ivan747]

They are not gonna make it. This was ridiculous. 
Seems like Ubuntu is now going down the toilet 

[free_electron]

Seems like Ubuntu is now going down the toilet 

i'll gladly help you flush it.