Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

I've read previous posts expressing outrage at the thought that the N900 is the only Maemo 5 device, but I haven't yet achieved an understanding of the reasons for that anger. If you have time to explain, I'd appreciate it.

You say you knew of Maemo 6, so I'm guessing you knew that for some many months now, the release of that OS has been predicted for the second half of 2010. You certainly seem to have known that Nokia has never provided any indication that Maemo 6 will be made available for the N900.

Given that, why is the irksome bit for you the fact that Nokia has announced no other Maemo 5 hardware? What your N900 will have available to it down the line doesn't change either way. And if "no Maemo 6 for Maemo 5 hardware" is a concern, wouldn't it be more upsetting if Nokia did release a second Maemo 5 device even closer to when Maemo 6 will appear?

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

lol. just like cars the first series of every new thing is a test. good point

ay by the way i found the post he made on another forum lol
http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/...NG/td-p/634946

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

Unfortunately that's not necessarily true... Nokia hasn't clearly stated what it has in store for the N900 or for how long it might be updated etc. Hell, they can barely bring themselves to give even a rough date for product launches, pending firmware updates etc. They leave everything to rumour and conjecture. I think the anger arises here and in the fact that N900 with Maemo 5 + say 5 more M5 devices = 2-3 years of development on the OS and improvements etc.
1 Maemo 5 device only and now a brand new OS which *seems* to be coming in to take over from Maemo 5 completely (again, Nokia keeping deadly quiet here gets many people angry and feeling like they've been dumped on from a great height) means a much much shorter lifespan for something which ultimately likely cost around the same as the next devices with the newer (and likely longer development lifespan) will.

Imagine if you bought a PC with XP on it and Microsoft then said we're bringing out Vista and anyone with XP is on their own now - we're not fixing it anymore. There'd be an outcry and frankly MS wouldn't get away with it.
Imagine too in that same scenario area if you listened to all the MS hype about their fantastic new OS Vista which was going to be a gazillion times better and more secure and blah blah blah than XP. So, dutifully you upgrade to this latest version but it turns out to not really be that great and quite poor quality in many ways. So MS say I know, we'll bring out Windows 7 within a year and do all the things with it that we should have done with Vista and charge people for the pleasure, again. Oh wait, they did... people were not happy (me included) and I see no difference here. Same parallel with Windows ME for that matter.

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

lol the N900 is the ONLY Maemo 5 device. THE ONLY ONE EVER.

this means all the little gritty things people create for it like hacks tricks tutorials will slow down dramaticcly as soon as MeeGo is released with a device. Maemo label will be forgotten along with the n900 project. I like to be part of a community with the device not on my own while a lot of people will be embrassin the next MeeGo device. a perfict example is the iphone. i dont like it personlly and will never want to own one but the community is that massive once you jailbreak it there is an app/hack/slat you name it for everything. my friend even got an app which has the same multitasking window as the N900??? lol wdf didnt see that happening (after a jailbreak, apps in cydia).

All honesty though, I have been thinking. By the time nokia release a device with the MeeGo OS it will be some time away…..(it really is gonna be a while) and ill will most likely buy it and move on from maemo. I forgot that its is to wwaayyy to early.

I think the issue has become nokia is aware most of the n900 community has been fighting over this and might just need to release a statement for us with a definitive answer. This fear of missing out is human nature, no one wants to be on the sidelines. To much beating around the bush from nokia.


One last thing. when nokia were developing Maemo5 and the N900, the plans for a merger were most likely happening during the development stage of the device. So it is very unlucky that we got maemo5 and no one else will. Another situation I would like is if nokia just abandon Maemo5 and give the MeeGo OS to the N900. maybe even the N810, N800 and N770 after all its a multiple device OS platform. :D

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

So, you had expected Nokia to continue to develop and release new features for Maemo 5, and introduce additional devices using it, even after its successor, Maemo 6, was released? What would be Nokia's motivation? Maemo 6, even under the MeeGo name, is a better-in-every-way*, finally ready for the mass market, major version upgrade to Maemo, one that runs on hardware near-identical to that of its predecessor.

• Nokia wouldn't be able to sell Maemo 5 on less expensive devices to reach other markets. The required base hardware for Maemo 5 and Maemo 6 is too similar. Plus, the cost of a keeping a full-fledged Maemo 5 development team around would increase the costs that must be passed on to the consumer.
• Multitouch vs. non-multitouch screens don't separate UI design and target markets enough to justify branching the OS in the manner of S60 touchscreen vs. not. Yes, there are die hard anti-capacitive, anti-multitouch people here and elsewhere, but probably not so many a whole, separate line of devices could be profitably developed for, and sold to, them.

In the end, Nokia would be left investing development dollars in, and marketing, equally expensive devices running an older, less usable, revision of Maemo. Where is the benefit in that?

* That's the idea anyway.

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

I like M5, got the N900 after the announcement. I'll be keeping it, it's an awesome device as it is! MeeGo / M6 will be an added bonus.

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

Well indeed, hence people's potential anger at the prospect of ot getting the upgraded OS when it comes out. Nokia won't want to spend time and money developing an old OS for just one device when they have a shiny new OS that will support many new devices.

Trouble is, customers HAVE invested their money and time (many of us, especially in the UK, will now be tied into 18/24 month contracts with this phone)

Many many laptops and PCs sold when Windows 7 was approaching release had free upgrade vouchers and such with them because those consumers wouldn't so readily accept an outdated OS on their new expensive machine. It's a clever trick on Nokia's part that they've managed to persuade so many smartphone users for so long that it's ok to let themselves be screwed over in this way. Even Apple didn't do this.

Hence, the anger!

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

That's another complaint though, one I haven't questioned.

This sub-discussion began with felbutss writing:

So, to felbutss:

• Nokia releasing Maemo 6 a year after Maemo 5 = fine
• Nokia possibly not providing a Maemo 6 upgrade for the N900 = okay
• Nokia not releasing another Maemo 5 device = completely unacceptable

I didn't question those who, unlike felbutss, are upset by the first two points. I can see why people would be upset by them. I only requested reasons for anger at the "no other Maemo 5 devices" point.

Re: N900 - MeeGo
 

I did go into that too with what I said previously but in my opinion these matters are pretty much intrinsic to the issue... The fact that there will(/may?) only be one M5 device strongly implies that these other things will come to pass and that the N900 will likely end up as an expensive experiment for consumers with a limited lifetime which is quickly superceded by features and functionality of newer devices.