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Jolla Spins Off Hardware Business

Posted by Soulskill on from the jolla-back dept.

New submitter John.Banister writes: Jolla, founded by former Nokia employees to continue where Nokia left off developing Linux based mobile devices, has spun off its hardware division with the intent to focus more strongly on its Sailfish Operating System. In its press release, the company assured backers of its crowdfunding campaign that it's still committed to delivering a tablet once hardware supply issues are resolved (PDF).

44 comments

  1. Shades of NeXT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    2020 Headline – Hoping to Return to Former Glory Software Giant *insert company* buys mobile OS vendor Jolla.

  2. Like Palm-One and Palm-Source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Palm ->
    Palm-One, Palm-Source ->
    Palm, Access ->
    HP, (xxx) ->
    (xxx), (xxx)

  3. Indiegogo's biggest failure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Jolla seems to have taken the money and ran. This is the first I have heard of hardware supply issues. The official release said "implementing the final missing features and performance optimization".

    1. Re:Indiegogo's biggest failure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... OOOOoor maybe you took the monay and ran. Did you ever think of that?

  4. Why keep funding any of it? by NaCh0 · · Score: -1

    The only linux based mobile platform that matters is android. These guys are 10 years late.

    I guess their name is their destiny... the fish has already sailed.

    1. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because i for one am never going to buy an android phone again. It's either Jolla, or a fucking stupid phone, that can only do phone calls and SMS.

    2. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why use Facebook anyway? The only social networking that matters is MySpace. These guys are 10 years late.

    3. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by marsu_k · · Score: 2

      As a former N900 (which ran Maemo, which became Meego and would later be known as Sailfish) user, I really would hope it takes off. The multitasking (even in Maemo, I should assume it is better in later incarnations) is still miles better than what Android offers. Having said that, I admit being somewhat "tied" to the Android ecosystem as it is, so good Android emulation would be a requirement (and I have no idea how well Sailfish does this as of now).

    4. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 2

      The only linux based mobile platform that matters is android. These guys are 10 years late.

      I guess their name is their destiny... the fish has already sailed.

      You're trolling right? Even if you're not you're pushing ignorance. Jolla has a bunch of interesting features that actually work.

      I hope the Jolla project succeeds financially - it may break a lot of walled gardens.

    5. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Android emulation would be suicide and here is why....OS/2.

      IBM sold OS/2 as "A better Windows than Windows" and what happened? Devs said "Why develop programs for OS/2 when I can just write a Windows program and it'll run on both?" and what IBM ended up with is a limited subset of Windows programs able to run and ZERO support from developers for their OS. So to the consumer you had Windows...or a bad Windows ersatz that could run SOME but not all so why take the chance the program you want may or may not run well when you could just get the real thing?

      I've said it before and I'll say it again, if the ONLY thing you have to offer is some nebulous idea of "freedom" based on whatever criteria YOU decide is important? You are gonna fucking lose, just look at how flatline Linux is on the desktop. You HAVE to have exclusives, things that the users can ONLY get from you that the user can actually see and measure, be it a ton of exclusive software like Windows on the desktop, a walled ecosystem that makes everything 1 button simple like OSX/iOS, or units at every price point under the sun like Google. If all you have to sell is "it has a form of freedom...oh yeah and can run SOME Google apps" then why would I as the consumer take your product when I can get the Google units for cheaper AND have 100% playstore compatibility?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    6. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why not make their OS run on Android hardware?

      It's already Linux compatible. Then again what isn't? ;p

    7. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by marsu_k · · Score: 1

      In principle, I agree with you. In practice, hell no. Sure, it'd be nice to have native apps. On the other hand, we're talking about a platform whose penetration is probably measured in fractions of a percentage. If app developers neglect even WP, which has a market share measured in some percentages, why would they develop native apps for Sailfish? Hint: they won't. Thus, the only viable "enter strategy" is to have an emulation layer for a relatively popular platform. Android is the obvious choice, but it could be as well (barring technical limitations) iOS or WP. Or they could go Blackberry - scratch that, they emulate Android already.

    8. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by short · · Score: 1

      If you want Android OS then go for it. I stay with the Linux OS where I have been learning all its library base for 20 years and I have a lot of my own codebase I do not plan to waster time porting to Android OS (if it is possible at all). So I use N900 with Maemo - that is Linux _OS_ and I will use Jolla after I get TOHKBD this month as it is also Linux _OS_. Nobody cares about what is / is not using Linux kernel, how do you find out what kernel is that device running on? And why do you care? Android is Android, that it runs on Linux kernel is irrelevant. Even in the OS you use kernel syscalls always via libc interface.

    9. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sailfish does almost perfect android emulation. Most android programs work flawlesly.

    10. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by ksandom · · Score: 2

      As a long time Android user who has just recently moved to jolla, I suggest giving it a go. I've only been on it a few weeks and already I can't imagine myself going back to Android as my primary device. Use what works for you. I'm really enjoying my Jolla.

      On a similar note, how much market share do they need to be successful? What is success?

      --
      Funnyhacks - Wierd, unusual, and fun hacks
    11. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't matter what they have, when what they don't have is customers. They'll be gone in less than a year.

    12. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you look at the history of OS/2, the real reason OS/2 didn't take off wasn't because of lack of development of OS/2 programs, but because of Microsoft's illegal hindrance of OS/2 being installed by resellers (Microsoft lost in court over this issue). The fact that Microsoft was sitting on its thumbs and not completing the portion of OS/2 that was theirs to complete, while at the same time developing NT and telling developers to develop for OS/2 while they themselves were developing for Windows, also explains why Lotus and WordPerfect didn't have anything ready for Windows. Microsoft didn't get to their position of power by playing fair. The DOJ should have split up the company like they did to ATT.

    13. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What device are you using it on? Full hardware support seems extremely limited unless you're on the one phone that they released (which is not available at all in the US). That compatibility matrix is from last year, but finding anything current on their site is extremely difficult.

    14. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by John.Banister · · Score: 1

      Blackphone's PrivatOS runs lots of Android programs, but I don't think it loses its niche market because it also provides a level of security that Android phones don't. Sailfish could similarly maintain a niche group of users by providing them more direct control over the hardware than they can get from Android phones. Considering the size of the global population, the number of people who care can be a tiny percentage, but still be large enough to keep Jolla in business.

    15. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by sad_ · · Score: 1

      OS2 could also run DOS programs.

      It's true, as a OS2 user back in the day, i only used it as a multitasking DOS.
      Why, because the few programs available for OS2 were hard to come by and costed way to much for a young geek like me.

      --
      On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
    16. Re:Why keep funding any of it? by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 1

      You are ignoring a factor: UI. Jolla has a very characteristic UI look and design, based on swipes and gestures more than on button, and quite different from the one of Android. Jolla users look for native apps when they are available and they don't suck, so developers have an incentive in writing them.

      And, also, people don't choose a Jolla phone for the apps. It's *mostly* the freedom. So your argument "oh, yes, and there's the freedom too" does not apply.

      --
      My first program:

      Hell Segmentation fault

  5. So quit saving money then? by EzInKy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been saving up to buy the successor to the N900. I've even gone to the point of buying a "throwaway" phone in anticipation of my current phone eventually dying so I have a backup. There's no way I'm going to put myself at the mercy of Google, Microsoft, or Apple.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    1. Re:So quit saving money then? by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 2

      A successful crowdfunded campaign has started shipping N900-style keyboard add-ons for Jolla, so you may finally have found a decent alternative. If you are waiting for an official successor from Nokia, well, good luck with that...

      --
      My first program:

      Hell Segmentation fault

    2. Re:So quit saving money then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I own one of the keyboards and am quite pleasantly surprised. I would even go as far as to liken it to the Nokia 9300 keyboard, which IMHO was superior to the N900 keyboard. I used it yesterday for some terminal work and IRC, while on a train, and really liked it.

      Keep in mind, that it is highly unlikely that another batch of the keyboards will be produced any time soon, or maybe ever. There are some people who are selling theirs though, sometimes with and sometimes without the phone.

    3. Re:So quit saving money then? by EzInKy · · Score: 2

      You miss the point. It is not just the keyboard, it is the independence. Maybe if I save another thousand I can buy a phone that isn't subservient to some data collecting MegaGoliath?

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    4. Re:So quit saving money then? by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      I must be missing something obvious, but why don't you just buy the Jolla?

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    5. Re:So quit saving money then? by Zumbs · · Score: 1

      Jolla is, to my knowledge, not subservient to Apple, Google or Microsoft. I suspect that GP suggested Jolla+keyboard because you specifically mentioned N900, rather than many of the other vintage phones out there.

      --
      The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
  6. No Win Situation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no win situation

  7. Why have choices at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just impose the majority choice, drop all the others.

    This is much more efficient, after all, no?

    1. Re:Why have choices at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. Having a choice is socialism!

  8. Perhaps if they sold to the US... by sethstorm · · Score: 1

    ...this wouldn't be a problem. However, they insist on avoiding the US with an irrational passion.

    --
    Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
    1. Re:Perhaps if they sold to the US... by CptJeanLuc · · Score: 2

      I am guessing from your comment that you are based in the US. Welcome to the same experience many of us we have in the rest of the world. E.g. only a limited selection on Netflix, lots of products get released later than in the US, or you go shopping on Amazon and during checkout you are told that some of the items are not shipped to your country.

      That being said, there are valid reasons for delaying or avoiding roll-out to some regions. There may be regulations or legal risks which makes the market unattractive, where e.g. US patent trolling could come into play. There are country or market specific requirements or certifications, with agreements, documentation, business support systems, etc which need to be set up to go with that - per each individual market or set of requirements.

      With US normally being the first market targeted (huge market, single set of requirements), my guess would be a decision not to go there would have to do with patents or legal risks, not wanting to be pwned by one of the big players.

    2. Re:Perhaps if they sold to the US... by GNious · · Score: 1

      ...this wouldn't be a problem. However, they insist on avoiding the US with an irrational passion.

      Don't know Jolla's reasoning for not going to the US, but I think that if I was making cellphones outside of Android/Windows, I'd avoid that market due to American's irrational passion for litigations.

    3. Re:Perhaps if they sold to the US... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      US is a huge legal risk. Jolla is a small company, they can't afford the legal circus. Even bigger companies avoid US because of that. Nobody outside US likes lawyers, so we don't usually associate with them. That means staying out of ridiculous jurisdictions, even if it meant a huge market opportunity. The rest of the world is big enough. Fix your legal system.

    4. Re:Perhaps if they sold to the US... by Zumbs · · Score: 1

      With US normally being the first market targeted (huge market, single set of requirements), my guess would be a decision not to go there would have to do with patents or legal risks, not wanting to be pwned by one of the big players.

      Jolla is based in Finland and was founded by a lot of former Nokia employees (Nokia is also based in Finland). This makes Finland (and the EU) their obvious home market.

      --
      The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
    5. Re:Perhaps if they sold to the US... by sethstorm · · Score: 1

      I am guessing from your comment that you are based in the US. Welcome to the same experience many of us we have in the rest of the world. E.g. only a limited selection on Netflix, lots of products get released later than in the US, or you go shopping on Amazon and during checkout you are told that some of the items are not shipped to your country.

      Why yes, I am. I do recall it being at least FCC certified to operate, but nothing else.

      At least with the 9500 Communicator and other models, there was a willingness to ship across borders. On the other hand, Jolla goes out of its way to make sure that it is a PITA to import one, much like how Nokia's high-end Harmattan device was released to the middle-of-nowhere.

      --
      Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
  9. Hardware division? by 0xdeaddead · · Score: 0

    Were they actually thinking of making sets? Did they learn nothing? No of course not.

    And im sure their utterly lackluster software will go nowhere either.

    Nokia only made durable shitty brick phones. But the world went to smart phones, and nobody wants Nokia 'software'. They should have diversified into something else, like solar panels, or wind turbines. Get on the Al Gore kick.

    1. Re:Hardware division? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What do you mean thinking? They already made a phone, and are making a tablet. And the rest of your comment is even more ignorant.

    2. Re:Hardware division? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the world went to smart phones, and nobody wants Nokia 'software'. .

      Didn't Nokia buy Trolltech before being purchased by MS? I like their software.

  10. Spin off = shut down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks like a marketing eufemism to me.

  11. Haven't they learned from Palm's lesson? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When you drop your hardware division, you're losing your only guaranteed customer...

  12. Russia is in the Sailfish game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I finally decided to buy a Jolla when it was whispered that the Russians might be in the game for the Sailfish OS.

    It is now official that the Yotaphone (or whatever) will be running on Sailfish.

    It still bugs me that my provider installed an app "to service me better" containing banking software.

    The funny thing is my one stop grocery shop (Colruyt) will be using "yet-another-app".

    A banking app war is in the make...okay, this is a whole other discussion but if your telecom operator wipes away 15 years of Linux administration on my Linux system with a fingersnip, just because they happen to know the encryption key of my SIM, it gets to you.

  13. Its own hardware division? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That seems very Sailfish.

  14. assured backers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "the company assured backers of its crowdfunding campaign that it's still committed to delivering a tablet once hardware supply issues are resolved"

    How about those who backed the Indiegogo campaign because:

    - "...the Jolla Tablet...runs on Jolla’s own independent and intuitive open source based mobile operating system Sailfish OS" (https://jolla.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204228083);
    - it's "Proudly open source" (http://jolla.com/tablet).
    - "Your tablet is powered by open source software called Sailfish (1:05)" (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet)
    - "Jolla Tablet’s Sailfish operating system will be unlike anything you’ve tried before. Once you try it, you’ll never want to go back. Independent and powered by open source, change whatever you like, whenever you like" (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet & http://jolla.com/tablet).
    - "Together with the open source community, we’re continuing to strengthen our privacy capabilities at every opportunity"(https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet & http://jolla.com/tablet)
    - "Jolla’s core value is freedom of choice for our community. That’s why we’ve picked Intel’s innovation platform, backed by open source, to power the Jolla Tablet" (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet).
    - "All of our customers can have their say on the direction of our products through Jolla and other open source communities that we work closely with" (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet).
    - "For $10 you’ll... get to support the greatest open source project ever...!" (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jolla-tablet-world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet)
    - "we’re continuing to strengthen it at every opportunity together with the open source community" (https://jolla.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204228083).