This week I bought a new GS290 and implemented /e/ os using the “Easy Installer”. It was not that easy for me because I didn’t realize that I still have to install drivers, although Win10 “detected” the device in the explorer. But in the end, I managed it.
I have to say a word about the pricing of the GS290 with preinstalled /e/ os offered by the e-foundation: I bought a new model at the “market” for 128 €, but e-foundation sells it for 260 €. I don’t think that this is ok - way too much. The difference regarding Fairphone 3+ is sth. about 30 € - which I think is quite fair. But demanding 130 € for installing /e/ OS - that is insane!
If it is the intention of /e/ - Foundation to make /e/ OS a success in terms of a “market share gain”, the aim should be to offer brand new phones with pre-installed /e/ OS on a large scale. This is the only way to attract every-day-users. Don’t think they would use the “Easy Installer” (which in the end is not that easy).
Don’t make the same mistake like Linux-geeks dreaming about gaining market share by offering “distributions” to be installed on your Win10-PC. This strategy has already failed.
According to a popular price comparison portal 230,- EUR to 260,- EUR depending on the country was the price for a new GS290 a year ago. The price you paid is in effect since about two weeks.
Apparently the Fairphone 3+ doesn’t have such a steep price decline, and it’s much more expensive to start with.
Since the price went down gradually, the question is: Do e foundation have stock of GS290s and what did they pay for those when they bought them? Can they afford to perhaps lose money by matching the lowered market price?
Ah good, there’s still an incentive to buy preinstalled phones at the e store .
Maybe. Windows 10 isn’t so bad afterall. But the earlier strategy to offer Linux distributions to be installed on Windows 7 PCs in order to avoid Windows 10 (before it became clear that it wouldn’t be so bad afterall) was pretty successful .
This week I bought a new GS290 and implemented /e/ os using the “Easy Installer”. It was not that easy for me because I didn’t realize that I still have to install drivers, although Win10 “detected” the device in the explorer. But in the end, I managed it.
It’s nice you got a degoogled phone for a good price.
I have to say a word about the pricing of the GS290 with preinstalled /e/ os offered by the e-foundation: I bought a new model at the “market” for 128 €, but e-foundation sells it for 260 €. I don’t think that this is ok - way too much. The difference regarding Fairphone 3+ is sth. about 30 € - which I think is quite fair. But demanding 130 € for installing /e/ OS - that is insane!
Nothing insane about it, they got to make money and pay employees. The /e/ store price doesn’t shock me that much even if the device’s price got lowered a few weeks ago. There’s a market for degoogled phones and people who cannot do it themselves are willing to pay the extra.
How much do the computer shops charge for formatting and installing Windows 10 and the drivers nowadays ? 90€ ? It’s just a few clicks and minutes.
If it is the intention of /e/ - Foundation to make /e/ OS a success in terms of a “market share gain”, the aim should be to offer brand new phones with pre-installed /e/ OS on a large scale. This is the only way to attract every-day-users. Don’t think they would use the “Easy Installer” (which in the end is not that easy).
/e/ will remain a niche mobile operating system. While being a great solution in itself, it’s not for everyone. The vast majority of people don’t understand there’s something wrong with what’s being done with their data and offering a rebate on a device nobody cares about won’t change anything about it.
On most open source operating system forums, there’s always this guy that thought about everything that comes with the greatest idea ever to gain market share. It gets pretty laughable in the long run.
Don’t make the same mistake like Linux-geeks dreaming about gaining market share by offering “distributions” to be installed on your Win10-PC. This strategy has already failed.
As a Linux user, I think this despicable sentence is pretty laughable as well. The goal is not to put Linux on every PC, just to provide a perfectly working alternative for people looking for something else. By the way, installing Ubuntu is less «geeky» than unlocking a bootloader and flashing a custom rom.
What is wrong about trying to gain a market share? Ok, /e/ foundation is a non-profit organization, but surely it wants to help people escape surveillance capitalism. The question is, how much % of population has privacy concerns and is willing to buy an alternative if an easy and practical solution would be available. Even 3-5 % would be a very large number considering the world market for mobile phones.
There’s nothing wrong about gaining market share.
There’s something wrong about believing giving away for free a device that 9.9 people out of 10 do not care about and not being able to pay your employees will do so.
Apple and Google aren’t where they are at the moment in the mobile market only because of good ideas. It costs billions of dollars, something /e/ has not.
When you’re buying a pre-flashed phone, you’re giving money for the cause, you’re making a donation for something you believe in. It’s the same thing when you buy a FairPhone. The device is not better than stuff that cost twice less. Still, you’re buying it because you believe in the product and think you’re doing the right thing.
Yes, value-wise, it makes no sense. Why would I buy a pre-flashed phone for 269€ when I can buy the same phone for 120€ less and flash it myself ? Why would I spend 400€ for a phone when a phone with better performance costs 200€ less ?
I hope they reach way more people as they’re doing something great and mostly for free (most users haven’t thrown a single euro in the project). However, providing the way things work at the moment (= android phone with unlocked bootloader + custom rom), it’s in their interest to remain little. Should they become a legit competitor to Google, I assume the latter would have fun preventing the vendors from selling phones with unlockable bootloaders. What would happen then ? PinePhone ? Look at the specs and what it costs… (Pine 64 aren’t even making money off it).
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