Ubuntu Edge Misses Crowd Funding Goal

Canonical started an IndieGogo campaign a few months ago with high hopes of raising $32 million to create a smartphone that could, essentially, double as a computer when plugged in to a monitor. The company promised the device would be able to dual boot Ubuntu and Android, and that it would support LTE networks around the globe.

Original specs listed 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4.5-inch screen with a 1,280 x 720-pixel display, and Canonical said that it would beef up the device with the fastest mobile processor available at the time of manufacturing. That won’t ever happen now, though. At least, not in the way Canonical hoped. The company officially missed its campaign goal on Thursday, raising a still impressive $12 million. That figure received a bit of a boost thanks to recent price drops for the planned phone, though they clearly weren’t enough to spur enough interest.

So what happens now? On its IndieGogo page, Canonical explains what happens if it misses its target goal, which it did. “We appreciate every bit of support we receive during the 30 days, and every backer will be welcomed into the Ubuntu Community. If we don’t reach our target then we will focus on commercially available handsets and there will not be an Ubuntu Edge. All contributions will be fully funded.”

Looks like the Edge is done. Maybe we’ll see Canonical try a cheaper campaign, though with one failure under its belt it’s going to be hard to find new backers.