In Sailfish struggles, a cautionary tale for alternative mobile OSes

With Android and iOS dominating the mobile operating system market, it's tough going for alternatives like Sailfish, now in survival mode as its maker, Jolla, moves to lay off a large part of its personnel.

The first smartphone with the Linux-based OS shipped at the end of 2013. Adoption of Sailfish has been weak, however, and Jolla is selling only one smartphone model, via the company's website, for about $303. It's a Jolla-branded phone, made by a third-party contract manufacturer. A tablet is also available for preorder.

Jolla is restructuring debt in its home country, Finland, after a round of funding fell through. The company announced Friday that it will lay off "a big part" of its staff, without giving many details of future plans. The company did say it would be tailoring the OS to fit the needs of different clients, and that it has several "major and smaller potential clients." It also said Sailfish is stable and ready for licensing.

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