3 ms·

The phone marketplace rewards performance, and there are only two ways to compete: either tightly integrate the OS and processing hardware (like Apple does) or

The phone marketplace rewards performance, and there are only two ways to compete: either tightly integrate the OS and processing hardware (like Apple does) or throw processing hardware specs at an unintegrated OS (like Samsung, Google, et.al. does with Android). At this point, given the existing application ecosystem, the best (only) option for a new phone maker is to tightly integrate inexpensive processing hardware with Android, and enter the market with a surprisingly performant phone at a low price point.

CivBase 6y ago
PinePhone doesn't need to become a mainstream smartphone to be valuable just like Linux OSes don't need to become mainstream to be valuable.
- clarge1120 6y ago
  It certainly does need to become mainstream, just like Linux did. The PinePhone, like its various alternatives, will have to find footing in the marketplace in the same way Linux did: with superior performance for the price. No mobile phone will sell enough to survive by offering low-performance hardware and off-the-shelf software no matter how open it is.
  - CivBase 6y ago
    > just like Linux did I think you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes "mainstream". > No mobile phone will sell enough to survive by offering low-performance hardware and off-the-shelf software no matter how open it is. Why?
    - clarge1120 6y ago
      Two reasons: 1. The market for technology is driven by price/performance. It is why there is a 4K Vizio TV at $400 sitting next to a 4K Samsung at 10x the price, and both of them sell. Buyers purchase technology based on price and performance. Low performance, low price. High performance, high price. 2. The high end of the mobile phone is coveredeither tightly integrating the OS with the hardware (like Apple), or by building very powerful (and expensive) hardware for an off-the-shelf OS. The low end of the mobile phone market is covered by midrange performance Android phones. A low performance phone on an unsupported OS just will not cut it.
      - CivBase 6y ago
        Performance is not the only value consumers consider. System76 has already demonstrated there is a market for computing devices which charge a premium for better repairability, security, and privacy. Even in the smartphone market, Apple has demonstrated many times that you can sell phones with slower hardware if you provide a more appealing software experience. Low-end Android phones still sell and I don't see any reason why PinePhone couldn't come out with a more high-performance model in the future. But releasing a $1k+ phone with beta hardware and software doesn't sound like a successful way to enter a market. The platform is still maturing and, for now, I'd still consider it a dev kit or an rpi-esque tinkering device.

CivBase 6y ago

PinePhone doesn't need to become a mainstream smartphone to be valuable just like Linux OSes don't need to become mainstream to be valuable.

clarge1120 6y ago
It certainly does need to become mainstream, just like Linux did. The PinePhone, like its various alternatives, will have to find footing in the marketplace in the same way Linux did: with superior performance for the price. No mobile phone will sell enough to survive by offering low-performance hardware and off-the-shelf software no matter how open it is.
- CivBase 6y ago
  > just like Linux did I think you and I have very different ideas of what constitutes "mainstream". > No mobile phone will sell enough to survive by offering low-performance hardware and off-the-shelf software no matter how open it is. Why?
  - clarge1120 6y ago
    Two reasons: 1. The market for technology is driven by price/performance. It is why there is a 4K Vizio TV at $400 sitting next to a 4K Samsung at 10x the price, and both of them sell. Buyers purchase technology based on price and performance. Low performance, low price. High performance, high price. 2. The high end of the mobile phone is coveredeither tightly integrating the OS with the hardware (like Apple), or by building very powerful (and expensive) hardware for an off-the-shelf OS. The low end of the mobile phone market is covered by midrange performance Android phones. A low performance phone on an unsupported OS just will not cut it.
    - CivBase 6y ago
      Performance is not the only value consumers consider. System76 has already demonstrated there is a market for computing devices which charge a premium for better repairability, security, and privacy. Even in the smartphone market, Apple has demonstrated many times that you can sell phones with slower hardware if you provide a more appealing software experience. Low-end Android phones still sell and I don't see any reason why PinePhone couldn't come out with a more high-performance model in the future. But releasing a $1k+ phone with beta hardware and software doesn't sound like a successful way to enter a market. The platform is still maturing and, for now, I'd still consider it a dev kit or an rpi-esque tinkering device.