In all seriousness, if he means smartphone from a hardware perspective, I might actually agree. The startup costs there are crazy high.
But, if he means software, no. Ubuntu is doing it and doing it very, very well. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it. All Android using hardware manufacturers are crazy to continue with Android now that Google owns Motorola. Look at the Moto X. Nothing can compete with it and no one will be able to in the future.
Samsung and the rest should very actively be looking to remove Android from their handsets as quickly as possible. Ubuntu is by far the best choice.
It's this type of comment that really disappoints me about HN these days.
Ubuntu just released V1 of their phone in October. Anyone who knows phone manufacturers and carriers knows how long they soak something in their labs.
Ubuntu has all the pieces in place to be an awesome option. Plus, they have their carrier advisory group with some great names showing their is some carrier interest.
Ubuntu has a company behind it and an owner who seems to want to compete in this market and has very deep pockets. Ubuntu itself has pedigree and history as well as working with hardware manufacturers and chip companies.
I mean, if your only metric of what is possible based on what is current numbers, Android would never had made it out of the gate, or should have folded after the Nexus One or even their next phone (can't remember the name), both of which were TERRIBLE and sold poorly.
Another reason you can't make new smartphones is lawsuits. I imagine Ubuntu OS will be sued out of existence by patent trolls should Samsung adopt it. They don't have an army of lawyers like Android/Google.
Rather than vocally adopt it, wouldn't the better plan for Samsung to silently allow their phones to play well with something like Ubuntu? The community will try to build up Ubuntu OS to a usable level without Samsung expending significant resources. They have their Plan B without opening themselves to any liability in the short term.
Today even the most open android phone have the bootloader and radio firmwares closed because of patents.
no matter how good ubuntu will be, it will end up only being offered ancient radios by qualcomm and the likes. and they won't be able to work around since the standard is patented by dozen different people. You'd probably will only have single band phones in the begging. or maybe i just worry too much...
In all seriousness, if he means smartphone from a hardware perspective, I might actually agree. The startup costs there are crazy high.
But, if he means software, no. Ubuntu is doing it and doing it very, very well. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it. All Android using hardware manufacturers are crazy to continue with Android now that Google owns Motorola. Look at the Moto X. Nothing can compete with it and no one will be able to in the future.
Samsung and the rest should very actively be looking to remove Android from their handsets as quickly as possible. Ubuntu is by far the best choice.