Challenges in Creating Competing Hardware Against Apple and Google

The podcast episode discusses whether there will ever be a fairphone or Librem phone that can compete with Apple or Google Pixel in terms of hardware. The speaker acknowledges a lack of expertise in hardware but suggests that there might be a barrier to entry or a limitation in obtaining components that hinders the competitiveness of alternative phones. It is noted that companies like Google and Apple can buy chips in bulk, giving them a pricing advantage, while other companies might struggle to source components in the same way. The discussion also touches upon the challenges faced by companies like Purism in trying to create open-source hardware. Overall, the episode explores the difficulties in creating hardware that can match the standards set by mainstream devices.