"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:2587944.aOMkL8xI33@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> ____/ Subway steel on Wednesday 18 June 2008 19:29 : \____
>
>>
>> "Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:4623315.2rfGrpL68x@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>> Hash: SHA1
>>>
>>> Openmoko open source mobile phone selling 'in early July'
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>> | The Apple iPhone and Nokia N95 may be sexier, but the Openmoko
>>> open-source
>>> | mobile is encumbered by proprietary software and hardware to the
>>> minimal
>>> | extent possible.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://technocrat.net/d/2008/6/17/43771
>>
>> This is a short but interesting article. I think your quote does an
>> excellent job of illustrating the key issue here. My opinion is that the
>> OpenMoko team needs a healthy dose of pragmatism. Here's the problem that
>> they seem to completely ignore. Both the iPhone and N95 are "sexier" than
>> the OpenMoko and the OpenMoko sells for $399. The next generation iPhone
>> is
>> only $199.
>
> No, it's over $1000. There's a catch (a contract). You can also buy a car
> for
> that price... with instalments.
The iPhone does require a contract "service plan" from a wireless carrier
but if you're going to compare apples-to-apples, in order to use the
OpenMoko people will also need to get a service plan. So it's not like
someone is going to pay $399 for the OpenMoko and then it will just work for
free.
I think one advantage of the OpenMoko is that it's not tied to any one
carrier that I know of. Presumably the user will be able to select the
carrier and rate plan best suited to them. In the US the iPhone requires a
service contract with AT&T and I don't know how competitive their rate plans
are.
In either case as long as the cost of the service plan is 'close enough' it
won't matter. The number one criteria which the article addresses is the
"sexier" aspect and good luck trying to beat the iPhone in that category.
>> What are consumers who buy cell phones interested in? A low price and a
>> very
>> sexy phone or do people buy phones based on what's "encumbered by
>> proprietary software" and what isn't?
>
> They are after developers who care about that stuff. And it's developers
> that
> determine the success of a product. Just watch PalmOS (a decade ago).
I agree that developers would care about an open cell phone. But most
consumers aren't developers and many developers will not be interested in
writing apps for their cell phone. I don't agree that developers are the
ones that determine the success of a product; at least not directly.
Also keep in mind that the iPhone is open in the sense that Apple released a
SDK to allow developers to write apps for it. I doubt that it's 100% as open
as the OpenMoko phone but it's open enough to let developers create
customized applications for it.
I just think that the OpenMoko is going to have a very difficult time making
headway into a very competitive market. If its biggest feature is that it
isn't "encumbered by proprietary software" then that's going to be a tough
selling point.
>> Sorry but the OpenMoko is doomed from the start. In order to succeed it
>> had
>> better be a lot cheaper or a lot sexier. Being more expensive and not
>> nearly
>> as cool/sexy/shiek as it's competitors spells death in todays market. The
>> "not encumbered by proprietary software" is not a selling point that many
>> people are going to care about.
>
> I think that Thad from the NG bought one or will buy one.
I don't know who Thad is but perhaps he'll post some info on the phone. I
think that the idea of a completely open phone would have been great several
years ago but I think that right now it's too little too late. But what do I
know. The market is the ultimately judge and we should know in a year or so
time.
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux)
>
> iD8DBQFIWXMmU4xAY3RXLo4RAgZuAJ401yjtNMI/v3XcD2ookQGqVMKcDQCggEKU
> gcVqo7qkrugeW/nHljFijOY=
> =ihDE
> -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
|
|
