[Discuss] Ubuntu Phone

[Rich Pieri]

On Fri, 4 Jan 2013 11:55:38 -0500
Jay Kramer <kramerjm at gmail.com> wrote:

> The Ubuntu phone looks interesting
> http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/phone

Canonical has been targeting touch devices with Unity for some time,
now. Looks like they will finally have hardware that can actually use
the UI.

I foresee problems with it commercially. Cell phone generational cycles
are a study in planned obsolescence. A top of the line device will be
trailing edge within 9 months and obsolete within 18 months. Service
contracts are designed to encourage users to "upgrade" (read: buy a new
device) every year with a contract with the new device.

Desktop obsolescence runs on much longer cycles, typically 3 to 5 years
for the top of the line to substantially fall behind and 5 to 8 years
to become genuinely obsolete. These two disparate hardware life cycles
are going to be a challenge to maintaining parity for applications in
Software Center.

-- 
Rich P.