Some of us can’t wait for Ubuntu for Android. We want it now. Actually we wanted it the second Canonical announced plans for such product. But apparently there’s a huge gap between the product announcement and actual launch.
More than anything Canonical would like us to crave for their own Ubuntu Touch platform rather than something we’ll use (almost) only when connecting the phone to a big screen. And it keep pursuing that vision having recently found an OEM partner willing to make such smartphone.
Meanwhile we’re not sure what’s happening with Ubuntu for Android. And here’s a simple idea I want suggest – Ubuntu should sell it directly to end-users.
Now I know there are some legal issues in selling the open-source software, but Canonical could solve it by selling support rather than actual software. It could also make it difficult for do it yourself crowd, prompting even more users to buy the mentioned support rather than installing it on their own. And even if the process of installing Ubuntu for Android isn’t too complicated, it will be perceived as such by a majority of users. Hard-core Linux fans wouldn’t buy the software/support anyway.
I know I would be willing to pay $99 per year to get Ubuntu for Android and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Would you buy it? And what do you think about this idea? The way I see it by turning Ubuntu for Android into something that costs real money we could actually support Canonical’s efforts and turn our existing Android smartphones into real convergent devices. Sounds like a plan, what do you say?