The Ubuntu Edge fundraiser has raised over $2 million in less than 12 hours.
Canonical’s crowd-funding campaign for a top-of-the-line Ubuntu ‘Super Phone‘ has attracted over 4000 backers so far. Between them they have pledged in excess of total $2,000,000.
The milestone prompted Canonical CEO Jane Silber to comment: ‘I reckon that’s a crowdfunding record’.
$2 million down, $30 million to go
For Ubuntu Edge to become a reality the project needs to raise $32 million by August 21st. Should it fall short by just a single cent Canonical will get nothing, backers won’t be charged, and no Ubuntu Edge phones will be produced.
Of the 4,000 or so backers nearly 3,500 have pledged $600 as part of Canonical’s one-day-only early-bird offer for an Ubuntu Edge phone.
After all 5,000 of these perks are sold (or the 24 hour window expires) future backers will need to pledge $830 or more to ‘pre-buy’ a device, pencilled in for release in May 2014.
Tier Options
- $20 – Founder
- $600 – Ubuntu Edge (first 24 hours/5000 only)
- $830 – Ubuntu Edge
- $10,000 – One of the first 50 Ubuntu Edge handsets
- $80,000 – Enterprise bundle incl. 100 Ubuntu Edge handsets