[deleted]
Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
31–40 of 96 posts
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#32[deleted]
Does that mean not enough people want a Formula one of a smartphone?
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#33HN discussion from two days about the report directly, not an interpretation via the Guardian. The Guardian does have some updated data. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6132686
There are some good comments about the rewards like "the early adopter bonus shouldn't have been a cheaper phone it should have been a more expensive but exclusive colourway"
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#34I get the impression (I am just speculating) that Canonical is running an enormous focus group. Whether they hit 32m or just 16m, they have evidence for the device manufacturers that there is a demand for a convergent and powerful phone running an open OS.
Surely missing the target would demonstrate a lack of demand? It's pretty hard to spin "We couldn't even get 30,000 contributers" asz success. Especially given the strong existing brand, the news coverage, etc.
I imagine there is a very significant number of people who would be customers, but not backers. Suppose x% of customers would be willing to back rather than buy, and they reach $22MM in funding. If x is 10%, that would mean $220MM is up for grabs if the phone is brought to market. That might still be worth getting out of bed for.
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#35Lets see I can buy an Android phone for $300 that runs an operating system that is state of the art and one of the world's largest tech giants is currently spending a billion dollars developing. Or I can buy a $800 phone for neckbeards that runs Ubuntu, an operating system that hasn't made headway in approximately a decade.
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#36I get the impression (I am just speculating) that Canonical is running an enormous focus group. Whether they hit 32m or just 16m, they have evidence for the device manufacturers that there is a demand for a convergent and powerful phone running an open OS.
Surely missing the target would demonstrate a lack of demand? It's pretty hard to spin "We couldn't even get 30,000 contributers" asz success. Especially given the strong existing brand, the news coverage, etc.
Again, I'm speculating but; hitting 16m at around 800 a phone equates to 20,000 phones. That's 20k potential sales of a phone that doesn't exist, using an OS that's still in development, to a tiny subset of individuals willing to engage in crowd sourcing. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. Imagine how well a carrier-subsidised version would do?
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#37Lets see I can buy an Android phone for $300 that runs an operating system that is state of the art and one of the world's largest tech giants is currently spending a billion dollars developing. Or I can buy a $800 phone for neckbeards that runs Ubuntu, an operating system that hasn't made headway in approximately a decade.
"an operating system that hasn't made headway in approximately a decade."
I don't think Ubuntu existed a decade ago. So I think that from nothing to being one of (if not the most) popular Linux distros on desktops can probably be considered headway.
"I can buy an Android phone for $300"
Yes you can. It is unlikely to have 4Gb of RAM and 128Gb of storage though.
"neckbeards"
You got me. I'm going to go and shave.
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd be pissed if I backed an Ubuntu phone and the money was used for a Bitcoin pump-and-dump (that might not even work).
Yeah, I mean, that's the ethical side of the question. I agree.
There is no question involved. Taking a bunch of money which users contributed to fund a hardware project and using it for financial speculation would be grossly unethical (and would likely constitute fraud).
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#39They should buy bitcoins on some money they raised: it will surely spark a new spike in price, but, hopefully, because they initiated it, they can later profit from people who follow the trend by buying and raising the price even more. That way, they can maybe reach $32m target and possibly even more.
Unfortunately, we may be close to running out of techno-libertarian suckers and Russian/"Cypriot" mobsters.
Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target
#40Lets see I can buy an Android phone for $300 that runs an operating system that is state of the art and one of the world's largest tech giants is currently spending a billion dollars developing. Or I can buy a $800 phone for neckbeards that runs Ubuntu, an operating system that hasn't made headway in approximately a decade.
"an operating system that hasn't made headway in approximately a decade." I don't think Ubuntu existed a decade ago. So I think that from nothing to being one of (if not the most) popular Linux distros on desktops can probably be considered headway. "I can buy an Android phone for $300" Yes you can. It is unlikely to have 4Gb of RAM and 128Gb of storage though. "neckbeards" You got me. I'm going to go and shave.
Approximately a decade is close enough, it will be 9 years this October.