Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Press Has Been Exceptionally Cruel to Ubuntu Edge

Ubuntu Edge



Summary: Criticism of the negativism that's so prevalent in Ubuntu Edge coverage, especially where corporate press is concerned

UBUNTU is in the headlines again. It's about Ubuntu Edge, which I have been watching for over a month, even before the announcement about it (thousands of articles have been published since then). While it is true that Ubuntu Edge did not reach its target/goal [1-4] Canonical does not view it as a failure [5-8] and it also marks a new world record [9], so it is definitely not a "failure" [10]. Perhaps the only failure was setting the goal as high as $32,000,000. Had the goal been set at $12,000,000, which is a high number (also aiming at a world record), what would the whiners have complained about? There is a lot of negative coverage (see the latest in [11-29]) and Jono Bacon does the usual PR/damage control in his blog [30-32]. Ubuntu did, despite scepticism, make it past 12 million [33], thanks for the most part to US-based buyers [34] and development for the Ubuntu Edge platform definitely continues [35] (with or without a phone that is Canonical-branded), so why be so pessimistic and negative? Canonical already has several phone-producing partners. I am hardly known as a fan of Ubuntu, but the press coverage seemed crude, mean, and generally biased. Let's be happy that Canonical proved enormous interest in GNU/Linux-based phones that also plug into larger machines (with peripherals) and thus act as desktops. Just like CrunchPad and other such products/concepts/prototypes which predate iPad and Android tablets, Ubuntu Edge can signal the way of the future. Linux and GNU derived a lot of good publicity from this, having been portrayed in some media as innovative, trailblazer, or whatever. Thanks for Ubuntu Edge, Canonical. Ignore those who envy the fund-raising record.



Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. RIP Ubuntu Edge, but Ubuntu is still coming to smartphones in 2014


  2. Ubuntu Edge smartphone misses crowdfunding goal by $19 million


  3. With $12.8M raised, Ubuntu Edge campaign fails, but it’s not all in vain


  4. Ubuntu Edge Campaign Admits $32 Million Goal Was 'Crazy'


  5. Ubuntu Edge – What Happened?
    The Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign finished today, which despite having more money pledged than any previous crowdfunding campaign, fell $20 million short of its massive $32 million target.


  6. Canonical doesn't see Ubuntu Edge campaign as a failure
    The company didn't make its goal, but its leaders still see the crowdsourced Ubuntu Edge campaign as a success.


  7. Ubuntu Edge: founder says failure isn't the end of the dream


  8. Mark Shuttleworth: The Ubuntu Edge was a 'time machine'
    Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on how the Ubuntu Edge would have been a "time machine" offering a glimpse at the future of mobiles.


  9. As The Ubuntu Edge Project Breaks Records It Also Gives Canonical A New Direction


  10. Ubuntu Edge: A grand experiment for the future of computing does not constitute a failure


  11. Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign falls short by $19M, founder keeps dreaming


  12. Canonical misses smartphone crowdfunding goal by $19 million
    Canonical raised only US$12.8 million of the $32 million it wanted for the production of the Ubuntu-based Edge smartphone.


  13. Ubuntu Linux Edge Misses Funding Goal: What's Next?


  14. Ubuntu Edge misses chance for Linux alternative
    Just a quick flag-in-the-sand post to mark the fate of a possible Android-alternative – the Ubuntu Edge (“the next generation of personal computing: smartphone and desktop PC in one state-of-the-art device”) missed its crowdfunding target on Wednesday.

    It reached a record total of pledges – $12.6m – but was still far from its very high target, of $32m. Under the terms of the crowd funding project, run on IndieGoGo, all contributions will be returned.


  15. Ubuntu Edge Linux mobe: 'Made you look,' crows Shuttleworth
    Um Bongo boss looks on bright side of $32m fundraising flop


  16. Despite Record-Breaking Crowdfunding, Ubuntu Edge Smartphone Falls Almost $20 Million Short Of Goal


  17. Canonical’s Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding dream is over. So what’s next for Ubuntu mobile?


  18. Ubuntu Edge smartphone misses its crowdfunding goal by over $19 million


  19. Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign ends with over $19 million outstanding
    When Canonical took to Indiegogo to crowdfund its Ubuntu Edge smartphone, the $32 million it sought seemed like an incredibly lofty goal. And, one that's now proven unattainable. Despite quickly selling out of the lowest pledge tier that included a handset, reducing the price of more expensive tiers, then doing the same again as the deadline loomed, the campaign has closed over $19 million shy of its goal. Still, raising just over $12.8 million is a record of sorts, depending on whether you believe a failed effort qualifies. In total, a handful of high-cost bundles were pledged for, 5,674 backers coughed up enough for a lone Edge, and many more thousands offered small sums in support -- or, some just really wanted a T-shirt. We're not convinced the journey ends here, though. After all, there's clearly some desire for the Edge. Will we see investors step in to make it happen? Or, perhaps Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth will finally see fit to pump some of his own substantial reserves into the project.


  20. Ubuntu Edge smartphone campaign ends in failure, raising less than half of $32m crowdfunding goal


  21. Ubuntu Edge falls short in crowdfunding bid
    The British software developer Canonical broke crowdfunding records on the site Indiegogo, but still fell around $20m (€£12.8m) short of what it needed to develop the phone.


  22. Ubuntu Edge crowdsauce cash stash comes up short


  23. Ubuntu Edge -- failure was inevitable


  24. Ubuntu Edge Funding Effort Fails


  25. Requiem for the Ubuntu Edge: The phone is dead, but the dream lives on


  26. Ubuntu Edge smartphone fails to reach $32m crowdfunding target


  27. The $32 million super-phone is dead
    Canonical, maker of the popular free operating system Ubuntu, wanted to produce a smartphone to showcase what its forthcoming mobile OS can do.


  28. Ubuntu Edge will not be — ambitious smartphone project misses funding goal on IndieGoGo


  29. Ubuntu Edge: 'Formula One of Smartphones' Failed Crowdfunding Campaign Not the End


  30. Onwards and Upwards
    I am not surprised that we didn’t hit this ambitious $32million target, but I am surprised at what we did achieve. We broke all the crowd-funding records, garnered media attention across CNBC, Engadget, The Independent, TechCrunch, the BBC, T3, Stuff, The Verge, The Guardian, Wired, pandodaily, Fast Company, Forbes, The Telegraph and more. Every single person who put their support into the Ubuntu Edge campaign should be proud of their achievements and we are all thankful for your tremendous and inspiring support.


  31. Ubuntu In a Nutshell: The Ubuntu SDK and Developer Story
    In my last article I talked about the new app upload process, but today I am going to talk about how developers write apps in the first place.


  32. Start With Art In Indianapolis
    My presentation focused on the intersection between art and community, and the many similar driving forces behind both. Art is meant to be created, distributed, shared, and enjoyed, and communities are a wonderful way to infuse artists with opportunity. Likewise creativity is the backbone of great community.


  33. Ubuntu Edge At $11M With Less Than Three Days Left


  34. United States Is the Biggest Contributor to Ubuntu Edge
    Canonical has shared some interesting statistics about the Ubuntu Edge IndiGoGo project and about the top contributors.


  35. The Ubuntu App Showdown Contest
    Welcome to the second Ubuntu App Showdown, an open contest to develop new Ubuntu applications from startup to deployment in just six weeks! This time we’ll have a mobile theme, asking developers to write apps for Ubuntu on phones, the exciting new platform introduced earlier this year.


Recent Techrights' Posts

Slopwatch: Brian Fagioli, Google News, and Other LLM Slopfarms
Why does Google News keep promoting these fake articles?
Links 29/10/2025: Amazon Kept "Data Center Water Use Secret", "Abuse of Power" Against Media
Links for the day
Gemini Links 29/10/2025: "My Hardware Specs" and "Goodbye Debian…"
Links for the day
EPO Cocainegate: Feedback and Clarifications
Part III will come out soon
Links 29/10/2025: "US Military Is Destroying the Planet Beyond Imagination" and Boat Strikes Deemed Unlawful
Links for the day
Quality Comes First (Techrights Search)
It's generally working already, but we wish to polish it some more
Techrights Party Countdown
Late next week we'll be holding a party near our home
European Parliament and Council Directive on Privacy is Vanishing
"edited / censored some time more recently"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Slopwatch: The March of Slopfarms, From UbuntuPIT to Linux Journal and to Various Fake Sites Still Promoted by Google News
It's so worrying to see what the Web has become
Links 29/10/2025: CISA, Ukraine, and Amazon Problems
Links for the day
[Teaser] The EPO's Spokesperson, a Cocaine User, Fancies Young Women
How's that for "optics" in the EU and Europe's second-largest institution?
How Will António Campinos Respond to the EPO's 'Cocainegate'?
That's the same thing we saw and still see when the press deals with enablers and partners of Jeffrey Epstein
Join Us Now and Share the News - Part IV: There Cannot be Free Software Without Free Press and Free Information
One day, one can hope, more people will recognise that for Software Freedom we need free press and free thinkers
Join Us Now and Share the News - Part III: Principled Stance Is Never Cheap
Protecting the truth and insisting that the general public is made aware of things that really happened isn't cheap
Join Us Now and Share the News - Part II: Because Scarcity of Accurate Information Breeds Collective Ignorance
we too will strive to share information that's aggressively suppressed
Gemini Links 28/10/2025: More New Arrivals at Geminispace, xkcd on "Document Forgery"
Links for the day
Join Us Now and Share the News - Part I: Defence of the Truth
This year we make a very strong, firm statement for truth, even if that means explaining our work to the top media judge in the country
Links 28/10/2025: Meta and Fentanylware (CheeTok) Age-Restricted Down Under, "Britain Needs China’s Money"
Links for the day
Links 28/10/2025: Mass Layoffs at Amazon and Charter to Cut 1,200 Jobs
Links for the day
The Cocaine Patent Office - Part II: The Person Who Planted Paid-for Fake News for the European Patent Office (EPO) is a Cocaine User, Friend of António Campinos, Now on Record as Having Been Arrested
Background: High-level manager at the European Patent Office caught in public with cocaine, arrested
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 27, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, October 27, 2025
Google News Drowning in Slop (and Slopfarms That Hijack About Half the Results)
Google News seems to be drowning in this stuff
Gemini Links 28/10/2025: "How to Maximize Your Positive Impact" and ASCII Art and Artist Attribution
Links for the day
PETA and Activism
Being staff or volunteer in PETA isn't easy
Big Blue, Huge Debt
debt will soar again
Links 27/10/2025: Mass Surveillance Sold as "AI", People Reluctant to Lose Physical Media
Links for the day
Parties and Milestones Again
we've begun putting up about 40 balloons
Techrights' 19th Anniversary: Bronze
Time to go back to preparing for this anniversary
Our Latest European Patent Office (EPO) Series Will Last Several Weeks, Will Ask the EPO Management and the European Union (EU) Very Difficult Questions
If nobody loses a job (or jobs) over this, then the EU basically became no better than Colombia or Nicaragua
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, UbuntuPIT, Brian Fagioli, and Google News
We focus on stories that are fake or LLM slop that disguises itself as "news" about Linux
Links 27/10/2025: Wikipedia Vandalism, Bruce Perens Opens up on Childhood
Links for the day
This Site Could Not be Done by LLMs Even If It Wanted to (Because It's Not a Parrot of What Other Sites Say)
LLMs have no knowledge or deep understanding
Microsoft is Disloyal Towards Its Most Loyal Employees
Against its most faithful enablers
19 Years, No Censorship
No factual information is ever going to be removed, more so if it is in the public interest
We Are Not a Conventional Site, That's Why They Hate (or Love) Us
Throughout the week this week we'll be focusing on the EPO
Following the Line of Cocaine All the Way to the Top
Even a million denials and spin-doctoring won't distract from the core issue
The Cocaine Patent Office - Part I: António Campinos Brought Corruption and Nepotism to the EPO, Then Came the Cocaine
High-level manager at the European Patent Office (EPO) caught in public with cocaine, the Office has some answering to do
Purchasing/Possessing Computers Isn't the Same as Controlling Computers
Let's strive to put computers back under the control of their users, no matter who purchased these (usually the users)
Gemini Links 27/10/2025: Alhena 5.4.3 and Fixing Bash
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 26, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, October 26, 2025
Thankfully We've Made Copies of More Interesting Data From statCounter
If statCounter (the Web site or the 'webapp') vanished overnight, we'd still have something left of it
More Silent Layoffs at IBM/Red Hat
when the media counts such layoffs or presents tallies the numbers are very incomplete