The first Ubuntu smartphones are expected to hit the market later this year and will apparently cost between $200 and $400.
Speaking at the Cebit business IT event, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth revealed some more details regarding the upcoming Ubuntu smartphones, noting that they will launch in the mid- to higher-end tier.
"We're going with the higher end because we want people who are looking for a very sharp, beautiful experience and because our ambition is to be selling the future PC, the future personal computing engine," Shuttleworth explained, as cited by The Inquirer.
The Ubuntu smartphone project has been in the works for quite some time, and it aims to deliver hardware that can act as a smartphone, but also serve as a PC when connected to a monitor. According to Shuttleworth, many audiences were intrigued by this option.
Canonical first tried to raise $32 million for the Ubuntu Edge smartphone via crowdfunding, but this attempt was a "spectacular failure," said the CEO. Following that unsuccessful attempt, Canonical teamed up with phone makers BQ and Meizo earlier this year to develop its Ubuntu smartphones. Despite the fact that crowdsourcing didn't really work out for the Ubuntu smartphone project, Shuttleworth believes that it was a positive experience because it drew attention to this effort and could have great influence on the industry. The CEO further noted that Canonical is not targeting iPhone users with its upcoming smartphones, because those consumers have an "emotional connection" to the Apple ecosystem.
There's no doubt that Ubuntu handsets will arrive late to the smartphone party, but the fact that Canonical started late has allowed it to observe the trends and its potential competitors so it can determine which would be the best way to go. Shuttleworth gave Android as an example, saying that Google's popular platform was not designed to serve as a PC, but observing Android's trajectory may allow Ubuntu smartphones to take their own route.
"I think as people get more and more excited about having a personal computing device that can be a TV or a piece of wearable computing, they'll be more excited about being part of Ubuntu's mobile story," said the CEO. "Android has served its purpose for sure, but perhaps it's time for something new. If you really look at the heart of Google's business model I don't think it totally depends on Android, because they have great services."
In other words, as highly-competitive as today's smartphone market may be, Canonical believes it can find a place for itself by offering something new. The company had previously said that its first Ubuntu smartphones will go on sale this fall, and the latest bits of information now reveal that the devices will cost between $200 and $400.
