You say that, but they're discontinuing it because they didn't sell enough of them. It may be the device we need, but it's not the device we're buying.
I never had a PinePhone Pro but I did buy an earlier model and the user experience was very far off what we have come to expect from modern phones. I'm sure the Pro was better but still probably not that close to an Android or Apple phone. That's not a sleight on the company at all, they faced some very high barriers and I respect what they did. But I don't think this is entirely on consumers for not putting their money where their mouth is. It's just yet another example that it's really hard to create something (in the phone space, at least) that is affordable, open and highly functional.
The product was never really attractive by itself. You had to be extremely patient and willing to overlook the serious problems with their software to even try to use it.
I would like to see some other company take a real swing at this product space but with a less strict approach around the hardcore open-everything ideals. They’re good in theory, but in practice people want a phone that works and you have to get to that stage first.
> I would like to see some other company take a real swing at this product space but with a less strict approach around the hardcore open-everything ideals
That... kind of was what happened. Purism released the Librem 5, and people were shocked they pushed so hard to get the FSF's "Respects Your Freedom" certification.
The Pinephone (and Pro) used a less Free modem, resulting in much lower power draw, but the UX was still, well... Alpha-quality is putting it gently
So if you come out with a typical android phone, you have to do X amount of work yourself and some Y amount you can just buy.
If you are doing something like a PinePhone, there's a multiplier on the X of work you have to do yourself ... a significant multiplier and that's the problem.
That's why if you have a something like a Pine phone that has the sales of say something like this: https://www.bluproducts.com/android-phones/ you're going to bleed money - you won't survive - it's too much of a lift.
That's also why almost all phones (that are financially viable) look and feel almost the same.
NB: Attestation has no security value here because if the phone isn't compromised then the owner having root isn't a security problem and if the phone is compromised then the user is entering their bank login into a fake scam app that doesn't require attestation regardless of what the real one does.
But because the banks that require this are cargo culting some nonsense, they require iOS or Google Android but don't really care how old the phone is. Which means you can transfer your cellular plan to the phone you actually want to use and then just keep your existing phone indefinitely to run the bank app over WiFi or tethering.
Then tell your banks they have to support the PinePhone or they'll lose you as a customer. The PinePhone folks don't have access to the source code of whatever interface your banks provide on Android/iOS, so they can't do anything about it.
NoboruWataya|6 months ago
Aurornis|6 months ago
I would like to see some other company take a real swing at this product space but with a less strict approach around the hardcore open-everything ideals. They’re good in theory, but in practice people want a phone that works and you have to get to that stage first.
xethos|6 months ago
That... kind of was what happened. Purism released the Librem 5, and people were shocked they pushed so hard to get the FSF's "Respects Your Freedom" certification.
The Pinephone (and Pro) used a less Free modem, resulting in much lower power draw, but the UX was still, well... Alpha-quality is putting it gently
dotancohen|6 months ago
kristopolous|6 months ago
So if you come out with a typical android phone, you have to do X amount of work yourself and some Y amount you can just buy.
If you are doing something like a PinePhone, there's a multiplier on the X of work you have to do yourself ... a significant multiplier and that's the problem.
That's why if you have a something like a Pine phone that has the sales of say something like this: https://www.bluproducts.com/android-phones/ you're going to bleed money - you won't survive - it's too much of a lift.
That's also why almost all phones (that are financially viable) look and feel almost the same.
reorder9695|6 months ago
AnthonyMouse|6 months ago
But because the banks that require this are cargo culting some nonsense, they require iOS or Google Android but don't really care how old the phone is. Which means you can transfer your cellular plan to the phone you actually want to use and then just keep your existing phone indefinitely to run the bank app over WiFi or tethering.
tmtvl|6 months ago