Google’s Android operating system is a fine example of how anyone can capitalize on the free market system. The open source software, of course, lets anybody develop apps as they see fit. Google even posts tutorials (and some more in-depth classes) for anyone who even wants to simply dabble in a little app design.
But one thing that, maybe, nobody anticipated is that Android’s success in this market might inspire a few copycats. Unfortunately for Android, though, this might be the case.
Maybe it is not unfortunate—after all, a little healthy competition is good for both businesses and for consumers—but two current Google partners have been working to develop their own mobile operating systems to merge deeper in to the market.
You could probably guess that one of these Google partners is Samsung. Samsung was one of Google Android’s early adopters, quickly installing the operating system in its flagship device—the Samsung Galaxy—as well as subsequent models, of course. But Samsung has been quickly gaining more and more market share over the years thanks to brilliant phone design and additional financial support from other consumer electronics. As a matter of fact, Samsung has already developed an Android-inspired open source operating system—the Tizen OS—which is available on phones in only a few regions of the world.
Huawei’s Tizen OS, apparently, is aimed at addressing specific cosmetic and pain points before the launch of the next major EMUI version, scheduled for fall of this year.
However, you may not realize that Huawei is one the largest mobile vendors in the world—the 3rd largest, in fact—as of the first quarter of 2016, with approximately 28.7 million units sold worldwide. But Huawei does not only make handsets, and its core of engineers is, apparently, building a new mobile operating system which could also put some strain on Android’s firm grasp on the market. And with their acquisition of former Nokia employees, the Chinese smartphone giant is poised to, at the very least, make a dent in Android’s fan base.
Of course, much of this is speculation right now. While it is probably certain that companies like these will build competing operating systems that does not mean they will easily take Android out of the game. In fact, some intel suggests that these companies might be looking to reduce dependence on Android because Google might be planning to enforce stricter controls and other policies. This, of course, could end up shifting the market too.
