The coming year will see a ‘number of Ubuntu phones hitting the market’, says Canonical community manager Jono Bacon.
Speaking on his weekly YouTube show, Bacon told viewers that the“…positive forward momentum going on with a number of different OEMs and carriers” will result in more than one device being released during the next twelve months.
“I’m confident that in 2014 you’re going to see a number of Ubuntu Phones hitting the market. I can’t tell you [who it will be] right now but I can tell you that awesome things are happening”
His comments build on those made by Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth at December’s LeWeb conference in Paris. Journalists at the event were told that a ‘high-end’ Ubuntu smartphone made by a well-known brand is on course to debut in 2014.
The question of who the manufacturer(s) are remains lost in vagueness for now, with Bacon refusing to be drawn on names as“it would be unprofessional… to compromise any confidential agreements between Canonical and [any OEMs].”
The promise of more than one Ubuntu-toting phone going on sale is certainly positive news but it is not without caveats.
Certain handsets are likely to be released in “specific countries” only, according to Bacon, because “for huge global operators it takes a lot longer to get a device out [in certain territories]”.
Despite the probability of devices limited to specific regions and carriers, it is expected that others will be available to purchase online, carrier-free and available to ship worldwide.