14 DAY TRIAL // Mark Shuttleworth talked about Ubuntu convergence and he also happened to mention the fact that Microsoft is trying to do something similar to Windows, but he said that the companies just had the same idea, at the same time.
Microsoft's Continuum concept was presented at BUILD 2015, one of the latest conferences, and showed how a Windows phone could be connected to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, allowing users to use their devices as PC substitute. It's unclear just how advanced this technology is, but it's quite similar to what Canonical has been doing (or trying to do) for the past couple of years.
The idea of turning the phone into a PC was presented a while back under the name Ubuntu for Android. The project remained in limbo after it was presented, but it soon became apparent that it can be more than just an app for Android. It was later proposed as a feature for Ubuntu Edge but was shelved until Ubuntu Touch became more stable.
Two companies sharing the same idea is not impossible
When Microsoft presented its concept, Ubuntu users immediately thought that it was really similar with the Ubuntu solution, but as it turns out that's not an issue. Even Mark Shuttleworth commented on this fact, and he feels that Microsoft didn't take the idea from them, they just had the same vision.
"I'd like us to rise above saying 'well, you're copying our ideas,' we didn't patent those ideas. We spoke very publicly about that vision because we wanted it to be true, and I think it's exciting for everybody that that vision is coming true. Of course, I'd us to be out there first, we are going to ship a convergence device and you can be part of shaping that software. You can do that with Ubuntu, you won't be able to do that with Windows, and that's an opportunity for you to define the future right the forefront," said Mark Shuttleworth.
He also said that Canonical is planning to ship a new device this year, with the help of a new hardware partner, but you can read more about this in our original report.