Canonical to shut down Ubuntu One services

Canonical, maker of linux flavours Ubuntu, is shutting down Ubuntu One file services, removing users' ability to store files or buy music from the cloud platform.

Through a article from CEO's, the company issued a public notice on its website and also sent out mail to users stating the shutting down of Ubuntu One file services, effective 1 June 2014. This email gives information about the closure and what you should expect during the shutdown process.

Jane Silber, CEO, Canonical stated, "Today we are announcing plans to shut down the Ubuntu One file services. This is a tough decision, particularly when our users rely so heavily on the functionality that Ubuntu One provides. However, like any company, we want to focus our efforts on our most important strategic initiatives and ensure we are not spread too thin."

It will no longer be possible to purchase storage or music from the Ubuntu One store. The Ubuntu One file services apps in the Ubuntu, Google, and Apple stores will be updated appropriately.

Silber stated, "The Ubuntu One file services will not be included in the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04 LTS release, and the Ubuntu One apps in older versions of Ubuntu and in the Ubuntu, Google, and Apple stores will be updated appropriately. The current services will be unavailable from 1 June 2014; user content will remain available for download until 31 July, at which time it will be deleted."

The shutdown will not affect the Ubuntu One single sign on service, the Ubuntu One payment service, or the backend U1DB database service. Also, for those people who had an active annual subscription, the unused portion of your fees will be refunded. The refund amount will be calculated from date of announcement announcement.

Stating the reasons, Silber wrote, "The free storage wars aren't a sustainable place for us to be, particularly with other services now regularly offering 25GB-50GB free storage.  If we offer a service, we want it to compete on a global scale, and for Ubuntu One to continue to do that would require more investment than we are willing to make. We choose instead to invest in making the absolute best, open platform  and to highlight the best of our partners' services and content."

Going ahead, Canonical's strategic priority for Ubuntu is making the best converged operating system for phones, tablets, desktops and more. Adding to this, Silber, "In fact, our user experience, developer tools for apps and scopes, and commercial relationships have been constructed specifically to highlight third party content and services (as opposed to our own); this is one of our many differentiators from our competitors."