On 2013-08-26 14:02, Alan Pope wrote:
> On 26 August 2013 13:28, Andy Random <andy.random@???> wrote:
>> Yes, and I think that is part of the problem with the Edge, without
>> support
>> from the mainstream providers it will struggle to sell in sufficient
>> numbers.
>>
>
> The Edge wouldn't have sold in any numbers. The *only* way to get one
> was to back the campaign to the relevant level. There was no
> intention
> to continue selling the Edge through retail channels (or otherwise)
> after the campaign finished.
>
>> It doesn't matter if the device is great value for money, if it
>> isn't
>> affordable to the man in the street it probably won't sell in volume
>> :(
>>
>
> The Edge needed 40K people to back it to the relevant level to gain
> enough money to actually make it. The intention was that there might
> be another crowd-funding campaign "Edge 2" a year or so later, with
> the original backers of the Edge maybe having first refusal for
> upgrade, or having input on changes for the next generation. It
> seemed
> like a great idea to me, allowing people to actually have input on
> the
> next gen device.
>
> But it was not to be.
>
> Cheers,
> Al.
Seemed like a great idea to me too Al. Yes, maybe not to be - yet!
I really, really hope though that it's rattled enough cages in the way
the iPhone did some years back - to disrupt things and also crucially,
*thinking* in the market - as for those who say the price is too high,
wake up and check out the lines of Fanbois queueing up outside the Apple
Stores every time a new i* gets released. iPhones aren't exactly cheap,
and somehow I doubt the next full spec, fully unlocked one will beat the
proposed Edge on price by much.
Oh, and who remembers this Steve Ballmer Quote about the initial
iPhone, just recently republished in theregister.co.uk:
---
"$500, fully subsidized, with a plan! That is the most expensive phone
in the world and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it
doesn't have a keyboard, which makes it not a very good email machine."
---
I travel on business, *a lot* and could really, really do with a
portable device with decent processing power and versatility like the
Edge would [have] had. Sometimes in my remote offices I get a screen.
Sometimes even a desk. Sometimes I squat in unused meeting rooms, and
other times I plug some device into a hotel HDMI TV port. Currently I
tour with a company supplied Macbook Air 10", a Nexus 7 Tab, Nexus 4
phone and a multiboot USB stick which gives me a load of Linuxy goodness
boot options on pretty much whatever hardware is available. This all
means though that I shouldn't have to take so much kit around with me,
but my job requirements demand it.
IMHO Canonical should def. have another go and do Edge Crowdfunding
2.0, but first have a damned hard look at who the likely early adopters
might be before setting the price levels, and also get some "pre-event
pledges" perhaps? Shame about the corporates in this event, Bloomberg
was the exception, but having spent most of my professional life in
Bluechip Consultancies, IT and/or Telcos I know first hand how damn hard
it is to get budget approval for a crappy 2nd user laptop, or even an
essential replacement part for a business critical "P0" monitoring
system for £2k - let alone a state of the art, groundbreaking,
potentially high risk Überphone.
OTOH there are a lot of very dynamic and forward thinking
startups/second rounders around right now, who might have just been able
to spring for a 5 or 10 pack. There was no such offering st start on
Edge 1.0. In fact, had there been a decent discount for a 5 or 10 pack,
I reckon I could have persuaded enough of my own team members to club in
and go for a group buy. We're not a startup, but we view mobile as our
most important target market and might well have been willing to take a
punt on this. In fact, that's probably the way to go, facilitate group
buys for small biz or groups.
Fair play to Canonical for the brave effort, and not least for their
pragmatic response to the missed target. I really, really hope it ends
up making a +ve difference.
/jfk
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