ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

[Jo-Erlend Schinstad <joerlend.schinstad@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Why are you even asking if Meizu of Bq has lost interest? Do you know
something I don't? The point was to produce a small number of phones for
people who really want it and knows why. Developers and enthusiasts. This
was announced as the strategy from the very beginning, long before there
were any phones to be bought. Ubuntu for phones hasn't been announced as
ready for mainstream and it isn't. Now we have quite a few people using
Ubuntu on phones and providing feedback and software, building a community.
That takes time. Hopefully, more developers and Ubuntu enthusiasts want the
phone when they see feedback from existing users. Then it might be time for
another small batch of phones, expanding the community and increasing the
guerilla marketing.

One of the worst things that could happen, was if curious people got the
impression that it was ready for mainstream and got one, only to be
disappointed and then running around on social media talking about how bad
it is. People who really understand the project, however, knows it's a WIP
and they're not so put off by its limitations. These are good ambassadors.

There's lots of stuff that must be done. For instance, it would make sense
to switch Ubuntu for phones to Snap rather than Click. And of course, the
big USP for Ubuntu for phones, is it's ability to function as a desktop as
well. But that doesn't really work yet. For now, Ubuntu for phones is
better off being a geeky thing.

What's the hurry?

On 8 September 2016 at 05:58, mark <j.m.holmes@xxxxxx> wrote:

> If Meizu and bq have lost interest in the platform, and are really not
> planning to build new phones then, perhaps enthusiasts - of which there
> seem to be no shortage - should go down the Fairphone route, and
> crowd-source a small run of devices, designed for Ubuntu and produced by an
> OEM. I don't know what the run of the Meizu or bq phones amounted to, but
> surely say ~20,000 high-spec Ubuntu phones could be sold?
>
>
> m
>
> On 07/09/16 17:53, Mitchell Reese wrote:
>
>
>
> On Thursday, 8 September 2016 4:47:42 AM AEST, Bob Summerwill
> <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Are OEMs not queuing up to ship devices running Touch?
>
>
> I suspect that the answer to that is "no".
>
> If, as seems likely, both BQ and Meizu have no immediate plans to ship
> further Ubuntu Touch devices then that likely means that it is not
> economically beneficial to them to do so.   That certainly isn't an
> appealing market for other OEMs to join.    Canonical would likely be
> pouring their money down the drain with such a device.
>
> Mozilla went through a very similar journey with Firefox OS, though with
> way more devices and way more traction.   They ended up giving up on the
> device side, and focusing on just community ports, and on application of
> the OS to new (non-mobile) markets.
>
> Mobile is a tough, tough market to compete with.    Commodity Android
> devices are very, very compelling to the mass market.    Mobile Linux is a
> really niche.   See the troubles Jolla have experienced too.     Even
> Samsung are struggling to make any kind of impact with Tizen - though that
> likely has more to do with their own internal politics than any lack of
> resourcing or ability to sell large volumes.
>
> My personal feeling is that mobile is now "mature", and uninteresting,
> like
> the PC market.   Who really cares if you have an ASUS or an Acer or a HP
> or
> whatever.    They have razor-thin markets and little differentiation.    I
> think that is where mobile is getting to be, with Android as the Windows,
> and iOS as the Mac.    So iOS is premium and profitable, "because Apple",
> but Android is the de-facto standard, commodity and unprofitable.     That
> is a really unappealing place to try to build a third platform.
>
> Android has utterly skewed manufacturing too, to my understanding, so that
> if you want to get a SoC now, you are going to get Android bootloaders and
> drivers on it.   As blobs.   And you're just going to have to suck that
> up.
>    Want X11 drivers?   No way.
>
> Tizen is the only mobile Linux which hasn't just made the pragmatic choice
> of avoiding the issue by using Hybris.   For everybody else, Android has
> become the de-facto HAL :-)
>
> So yeah... I have an MX5 Pro as my daily driver and love it.   MX4 before
> that.    But I don't have much hope of any future Ubuntu Touch mobile
> devices.    I think we're likely walking dead, but just haven't stopped
> walking yet.
>
> So maybe Jolla and Tizen are the "last men standing" in this space?    For
> mobile profile, at least.    Tablets are a different story.   Ditto IoT
> and
> Ubuntu Snappy Core.
>
> On Wed, Sep 7, 2016 at 10:49 AM, mark <j.m.holmes@xxxxxx>
> <j.m.holmes@xxxxxx> wrote:
>
> +1
>
> The same thought had crossed my mind. Touch seems to be reaching the point
> of maturity where something of the Edge's specs might come to fruition. It
> would be a winner, imho.
>
> Are OEMs not queuing up to ship devices running Touch?
>
> m
>
> On 07/09/16 14:32, Art wrote:
>
> Question.......
>
> I read all the comments, and I am now curious.....
>
> What is to stop Canonical from releasing their own branded phones right
> now?? Just because the current 'offering' isn't Canonical branded, Is
> there
> anything that prevents them from selling a Canonical branded phone later
> on??
>
> After all, now we know that a linux based phone actually works, what is to
> stop Canonical (or even myself) from seeking out an independent phone OEM,
> buying them in bulk and rebranding them, complete with the linux software
> already installed?
>
> Great list all, I hope to see the linux phone succeed! It's about time we
> take back control of our own phones and block all the 'features' that rob
> us of our privacy!!
>
> Art
>
>
>
>
> On 09/05/2016 10:49 AM, Krzysztof Tataradziński wrote:
>
>
> Hi
>
> Did anyone from Canonical considered to 'simply' develop phone themselves
> alone, order it in factory and sell with Canonical brand?
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone
> Post to     : ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>
>
>
>
> Hmmm. Disagree - thanfully. Otherwise, whats the point? Similar arguments
> when Microsoft was still a thing - why compete?
>
> The thing about Ubuntu is it's also a desktop system - and has the
> potential to be much more. Will be interesting to see where this goes, but
> I'm backing Canonical.
> M
>
>
>
>
> --
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone
> Post to     : ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>
>