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Ubuntu Edge Two Weeks In – Have We Backed A Winner?

August 4, 2013
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So we’re nearly two weeks into the 30 day Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign and I have to say, things aren’t looking too good in the Ubuntu Edge camp. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening over the last week…

More Perks

Last week when I wrote my first update, I mentioned how it would be good to have some smaller perks, like maybe a t-shirt and stickers for $50. It seems that Canonical are RefuGeeks readers as the very next morning they launched a t-shirt for $50. That was just a suggestion though, I would have liked to see more perks than just a t-shirt.

Will they make it?

Obviously I can’t definitively say either way whether they will or not, but I can say that at the moment they are way off the mark. On my last update they were one week in and raised just over $7,000,000; now they are nearly two weeks in and they are only at $8,100,000 of their $32,000,000 target. So the campaign has slowed down significantly.

Edge Graph - 2 weeks

Looking at the graph above taken from ubuntu-edge.info you can see that after the initial spike in interest, the Ubuntu Edge campaign is currently around 25% off it’s target (the red line is the target). Now that is to be expected on any crowd funding campaign. Interest does fade in the middle and then tends to spike again towards the end, but with a bigger target to reach, these slumps in activity are magnified exponentially.

Canonical will undoubtedly have a big announcement in place to bump up interest towards the end of the Ubuntu Edge campaign. But for them to succeed it will need to be something significant. The only thing I can really think of at the moment is a significant discount on the device, or maybe a secondary low spec and cheaper device that just runs Ubuntu Touch.

We will see over the next two or so weeks. The Ubuntu Edge campaign ends on 22nd August (which is also my birthday incidentally – 29 years young). We will of course keep you guys up to date with the campaign. What do you think Canonical can do to make this campaign a success?

Ubuntu Edge Two Weeks In – Have We Backed A Winner?
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  • madjr

    >But for them to succeed it will need to be something significant. The only thing I can really think of at the moment is a significant discount on the device, or maybe a secondary low spec and cheaper device that just runs Ubuntu Touch.

    get it back to $6xx – 725 high demand niche / price range and you got the momentum back.

    the S4 mini or HTC 1 mini prove that if you want to reach the widest audience, you need to offer more than the premium model.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf9iU26AdV8

    • https://refu-archive.kevquirk.com/ Kev Quirk

      I don’t know, I think that even $600 for an unproven device that hasn’t even been created yet is too much for a lot of people. With a cheaper phone that’s some running Ubuntu Touch then users can get a nice cheap phone that they know they can simply throw Android on it if they like. 600 bucks is a big punt to take for many, but something like 300 is much more manageable.

      • madjr

        I believe there will be sufficient $300 regular phones later when u-touch comes out, but the reason of the campaign is not that, but a limited edition premium converged device and hopefully a semi-premium that will be more accessible to more backers.

      • https://refu-archive.kevquirk.com/ Kev Quirk

        Yeah that’s true, it’s not technically what the campaign is about. But what’s the harm in adding an equally limited edition, one off Ubuntu touch device that people with lower expendable incomes can afford?

        They will be getting a limited edition cool phone and they will be helping the edge project; and Canonical will get funds from an easy to manufacture device that will drive the innovation of the edge. Not only that but it will also test the market for the Ubuntu touch phones.

        It’s win/win all round really.

      • madjr

        yea I hope they do, but it will still need to have some of the EDGE’s components so they hit the production / price target.

        i.e. All phones will probably need to be in sapphire glass and maybe also the planned 1 piece metal body.

        As for the internal components, you can be more flexible. Less storage, less cpu, ram, 1 LTE antenna, etc.

      • https://refu-archive.kevquirk.com/ Kev Quirk

        Exactly :)

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