Solana Mobile has pulled the plug on software program assist for the Saga, closing the e book on a tool whose legacy might be outlined much less by its Web3 ambitions than by its wild, airdrop-fueled second act.
Abstract
- Solana Mobile has formally ended software program and buyer assist for the Saga smartphone.
- The telephone, which bought about 20,000 items, gained cult standing after preloaded wallets turned hotspots for profitable memecoin airdrops.
- Saga’s brief two-year assist cycle aligns with Solana Mobile’s pivot to its subsequent gadget, the Seeker.
In a current notice issued lately, the Solana Mobile staff stated the Saga has formally reached its end-of-support lifecycle. Critically, buyer assist for the gadget has been scaled again to common inquiries solely, successfully freezing the telephone’s improvement in time.
“We wish to prolong our honest appreciation to all Saga house owners and builders who supported Solana Mobile’s first-generation gadget. Your suggestions and engagement have been invaluable in shaping the subsequent chapter of Solana Mobile,” the staff famous.
The announcement, posted quietly on Solana Mobile’s web site, marks a definitive near a product that launched in Might 2023 with the bold purpose of integrating blockchain instruments immediately into cell {hardware}.
Saga’s short-lived experiment with lasting questions
The choice immediately impacts the roughly 20,000 customers who bought the Saga gadget, a determine that fell nicely wanting the corporate’s preliminary 50,000-unit purpose. For this group, the telephone’s major utility shifted dramatically from its supposed function.
The Solana Mobile staff launched the gadget with the ambition of constructing the crypto financial system extra accessible, nevertheless it in the end discovered its place in historical past for a special motive: changing into a veritable golden ticket for speculative memecoin airdrops.
This sudden flip of occasions started when Saga telephones arrived with pre-loaded crypto wallets that turned targets for token distributions. What began as a modest perk, with airdrops initially overlaying a portion of the telephone’s price, exploded right into a frenzy in the course of the peak of the Solana memecoin mania.
Nonetheless, the starkly brief two-year assist window stands in sharp distinction to trade requirements, highlighting the challenges of crypto-native {hardware}. Whereas Apple gives a minimal of 5 years of safety updates and Google guarantees seven for its newer fashions, the Saga’s lifecycle was reduce exceptionally brief.
This transfer leaves house owners with gadgets that aren’t solely functionally frozen but additionally more and more susceptible to safety threats, a big concern for a product constructed round securing digital belongings.
Saga’s sundown interval coincides with Solana Mobile’s full pivot to its successor. The corporate started transport its second-generation gadget, the Solana Seeker, in early August, to over 50 international locations. With an enormous 150,000 preorders, the Seeker is forecast to generate not less than $67.5 million in gross income, a testomony to discovered classes and a extra product-ready market.
