Performance is not the only value consumers consider. System76 has already demonstrated there is a market for computing devices which charge a premium for bett

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.