Sometimes a good idea just isn't good enough.
Canonical, maker of the popular
free operating system Ubuntu, wanted to produce a smartphone to showcase what its forthcoming mobile OS can do.
So it launched an Indiegogo campaign asking
backers to help make its project a reality. But this wasn't any ordinary
campaign. Not only was Canonical attempting to generate $32 million in funding
-- the largest crowdfunding goal ever -- it was asking everyone who actually
wanted one to pony up $830 (it would later lower this price to $695).
The
price matched the promise: Canonical wanted to produce the best phone on the
market, a high-end device that could generate the same sort of consumer lust
awarded the Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S 4.
It
would have a processor faster than anything available right now. It would have
a sapphire screen capable of withstanding extra abuse. And it would be able to
function as a full Linux PC when connected to a keyboard and monitor, giving it
functionality that most people see as a future innovation.
"Ultimately
it would be a great way to bring attention to the fact that convergence is
available today," said Canonical Vice President Victor Palau.
But
it wasn't to be: The campaign ended up missing its mark by quite a lot on
Wednesday, generating only $12.8 million -- still the most amount of money ever
raised by a crowdfunding platform.
Canonical
says that it went the crowdfunding route because it had no plans to become a
proper hardware maker, and didn't want to accept any sort of investment money.
It simply wanted to produce a run of 40,000 devices to show how its software
should look and feel on a device.
Now
that the campaign is over and dead, Canonical says that it will move on from
pursing the Ubuntu Edge smartphone. Instead, the company will work to partner
up with hardware manufacturers and push its Mobile Ubuntu platform.
While
the Ubuntu Edge project generated more crowdfunding than any other project
ever, the Edge project had a fatal flaw: Interesting as its features were, it
wouldn't have solved many problems currently found in smartphones.
The
proposed processor speed and RAM capacity was more than we've seen in previous
devices, but there was nary a word of size, weight, battery life or camera
performance, which are very important features to be overlooking. Plus, we
wouldn't be seeing this until the middle of 2014 at the earliest, which is
enough time for plenty of superior devices to materialize from the big
smartphone makers.
And
ultimately, the biggest innovation it promises - smartphone/PC convergence - is
just something people aren't ready for yet. Being able to use a phone as a PC
is 100% dependent on having access to a monitor, mouse and keyboard wherever
you want to use it. Easy access to that gear outside the home or office is
hardly ubiquitous. In fact, it's quite scarce.
Combine
these concerns with the fact that any mobile OS not named iOS or Android faces
considerable difficulty attracting third-party app developers, and it's not
hard to see why even those who are interested by the idea would have pause.
In
the end, it wasn't so much that the Ubuntu edge was a bad idea, or even a
preposterous one. It simply was not an idea that addressed any pressing needs
or provided new insights on what role technology could play in the lives of
normal people. If it had done that, it wouldn't have needed to crowdfund the
phone at all.
Ubuntu
Edge Specifications
Ubuntu
Edge won’t be any ol’ run-of-the-mill mobile. Canonical are crafting a
communication device that’s couture; they want to out-Apple Apple.
The
tentative specifications for it features high-end components, some rarely
used in consumer mobiles.
·
‘Multi-core CPU’
·
4GB RAM
·
128GB SSD
·
4.5″ Sapphire Crystal screen (1280×720 HD resolution)
·
Dual cameras (8mp rear, 2mp front)
·
MHL connector (supporting HDMI)
·
Long-life silicon anode battery
·
Dual-LTE, NFC, Dual-band WiFi & Bluetooth 4
·
GPS, Barometer, Compass, Proximity Sensor, Gyro, etc
OS
wise Ubuntu Edge, perhaps most surprisingly, will dual-boot Ubuntu Touch and
Android. When docked it will be able to power a full Ubuntu desktop experience
on an external monitor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment