I really wish Canonical would focus into making a really great desktop experience (that was getting better each year until 2011), instead of trying random shoots everywhere and seeing what sticks.
Canonical can and should try to monetize Ubuntu the best it can. Tablets, TVs, and other 'thinner' clients seem to be the market trend, and I think that Canonical could stand to make some money here. Even a little is good.
It's possible to pursue a different form factor and still make a compelling desktop OS. If Canonical is able to grow, they can afford to spend more on building an across the board experience for all types of devices. Maybe they're slightly distracted from their original mission statement, and maybe this results in a slightly lessened desktop experience, but someone has to pay the bills. Maybe they'll even turn a profit. I'd certainly love to see them grow and flourish as a company. How awesome would it be to have Ubuntu-powered devices that run on optimized hardware and can sync, share, etc?
[1] http://installubuntu.net/linux-mint-diverts-banshee-revenue/
edit: Why the downvotes? I'd appreciate it if you let me know what I said wrong so that I can analyze and possibly correct.
Where I disagree here is that I don't see what Canonical's business model will be on consumer devices.
On the server/enterprise level it is easy, just charge for support services. If they provide a free open source solution for tablets for example , unless they are going to manufacture their own tablets they will not be getting any licensing money off the tablet manufacturers per tablet sold unless they distribute some of their software under a non-open license.
They might be able to make some money through Ubuntu one and selling file syncing and sharing through that but if the system is open enough then there is nothing stopping a tablet manufacturer building a tablet that comes with their own syncing solution rather than Canonical's.
They are unlikely to be able to strike good deals with major content providers without having to install DRM in their software and have signed software/hardware which would basically turn them into yet another proprietary vendor.
OT: how can you tell how many downvotes he has?
Ubuntu's goal is the very oposite of that from the begining.
Any coder and keyboard-user can easily pick between an array of distros that will target just them, while Ubuntu set out to be "Linux for human beings" and this is just the approach they chose.
For instance, if you want to get to the calculator, I type calc. The first option is LibreOffice Calc. I have to either use the arrow keys or mouse to navigate to the calculator which is the second option. I know that If I type ca or cal, calculator is first, but I tend to type calc and it doesn't learn.
I also use VirtualBox. In gnome-do, I can start typing the name of my VM and I can launch it immediately. Using Super in Unity, I need to open VirtualBox first. Then start the VM through VirtualBox.
This is super annoying when you know what windows are open in which virtual desktop. I used to be able to switch to a virtual desktop and Alt+Tab quickly. Now, I need to cycle through all open applications and I'm screwed if there's more than one window open of that application. Lot's of wait time. Using the mouse isn't much better.
I've used Ubuntu since 7.10 and have loved it and recommended it up until Unity. Now I'm seriously thinking of switching. I've been hearing a lot about Linux Mint.
Opportunity cost. Canonical is a small company with limited resources. If they can achieve the holy grail of a common interface that works on the new emerging platforms, they can carve out a profitable market share.
After all, the Year of Linux on the Desktop is a ship that has sailed.
Unity isn't perfect, but the fact that Canonical are thinking long term and have an ambitious strategy should be commended.