Live data from Hacker News

Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

indiegogo.com

21–30 of 72 posts

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#22
post #8

I was in Shenzhen in the spring, and there are many companies offering to make electronics for you. Minimum Order Quantity 1000. Many phones were available for under $200 that looked fairly deluxe, clones of the Samsung Note 2 and Galaxy 3, as well as some with more features like FM, TV, Dual Sim. Why did this project need to raise so much money? And why so high of a price for the handset? I think that this project w…

Then, presumably, it wouldn't be any different from other phones that exist on the market already, which completely defeats the point. This project is for better phone hardware, not just "Ubuntu on a phone" for which you can already run the development preview on existing phones.

But I agree with gregpilling. Why did they have to add all of those untested features to the spec. Is sapphire glass really better or is it just a fancy sounding gimmick? And what's up with "Silicon-anode Li-ion?" More RAM sounded good to me and the whole ubuntu in your pocket thing also sounds great, but premium pricing and new hardware technologies that are unproven worry me.

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#23
post #15

They kinda screwed it up. They should have went for something more reasonable like 8-10 mil. One of the rationalization was that 32 million funding goal or 40k devices would give the market validation. But they ignored the part where they are a new player in a very saturated existing market, with a new unproven device. The plan to only sell device through indigogo is also silly. It kinda back-fired from the intended…

I question whether this was anything more than a way to test the waters and see if people would actually put up some money. Maybe they can use this as a benchmark to at least get some leverage with suppliers, and then set a more realistic goal for fundraising.

That sounds really dubious since Mark Shuttleworth explicitly said that there is'nt going to be an Edge if it fails to reach its funding goal. To me it sounds more like Canonical got over-realistic with their target. May be they got in the line of thinking that 40K devices are pinch of a much larger Ubuntu community that exists.

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#24
post #10

It's sad to see this die :(. Hope it will rise from ashes some day.

It was badly formulated in the first place. Ubuntu on phones is interesting because it's Ubuntu, not because some team with no previous track record in hardware wants to build a high-end phone. Making it about the hardware was unnecessary. How many of you would have bought a pre-configured Ubuntu phone on any decent existing ODM hardware platform?

I don't just want Ubuntu on my phone. I want my main Ubuntu desktop running on my phone, so that I can take it with me, with just an external monitor and keyboard needed at my desk. To make that experience really great, we need better phone hardware.

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#27
post #15

They kinda screwed it up. They should have went for something more reasonable like 8-10 mil. One of the rationalization was that 32 million funding goal or 40k devices would give the market validation. But they ignored the part where they are a new player in a very saturated existing market, with a new unproven device. The plan to only sell device through indigogo is also silly. It kinda back-fired from the intended…

I question whether this was anything more than a way to test the waters and see if people would actually put up some money. Maybe they can use this as a benchmark to at least get some leverage with suppliers, and then set a more realistic goal for fundraising.

I fully agree with that.

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#28
post #15

They kinda screwed it up. They should have went for something more reasonable like 8-10 mil. One of the rationalization was that 32 million funding goal or 40k devices would give the market validation. But they ignored the part where they are a new player in a very saturated existing market, with a new unproven device. The plan to only sell device through indigogo is also silly. It kinda back-fired from the intended…

I question whether this was anything more than a way to test the waters and see if people would actually put up some money. Maybe they can use this as a benchmark to at least get some leverage with suppliers, and then set a more realistic goal for fundraising.

Asking for 30+ million to test the waters is kind of a stretch in my opinion.

Re: Ubuntu Edge - Less than 24 hours left, $20 million to go

#30
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I question whether this was anything more than a way to test the waters and see if people would actually put up some money. Maybe they can use this as a benchmark to at least get some leverage with suppliers, and then set a more realistic goal for fundraising.

Asking for 30+ million to test the waters is kind of a stretch in my opinion.

Well I just mean setting a bar so high that if you raise the money, great, it's worth a shot! If you don't, you can at least gauge interest and decide if you want to revise and be a bit more realistic.
Post reply on HN