Samsung’s move away from Android has been narrowly viewed as inevitable. Until now, their Tizen platform was a lot of innuendo, relegated to closed-door meetings with potential partners. Now that it’s seen the light of day with Samsung’s wearables, and a few Tizen smartphones are coming this fall, the scope of whether or not Samsung will leave Android widens. Recent comments from Samsung only spark further debate.


Samsung Electronics Media Solution Center President Hong Won-pyo told reporters this week said “Tizen could be a common platform that can connect Samsung products in a single category”, likening it to Android. He also added that Samsung was “ready to fully open up our platform and solutions to other interested parties.” Saying Tizen would be available for “smartphones, tablets, and televisions”, he also said Samsung “will work together with various manufacturers, solution and parts suppliers to expand our ‘smart home’ business”.

Hong also noted that Samsung was quickening their search for companies to acquire, which would accelerate their development. Again, that positions them as a competitor for more than just hardware, which has been their bread and butter.

We know from the recent crop of Gear wearables that Tizen can work with Android, at least to some degree. The choice to offer the wearables up for Samsung devices — leaving other OEMs out of the mix — suggests Samsung is testing the waters with Tizen while they bolster support on a different front.

Are they leaving Android, though? If they don’t leave, they’ll probably wane themselves from it over time. If not to explore their options with Tizen, why create it? Samsung is the only Android OEM with their own Developer Conference, which should tell us they’ve transcended being a simple hardware manufacturer for Android devices. While diminished involvement from the largest Android OEM would represent a sea change, it ale opens the door for the likes of Motorola, HTC, LG, and upstarts like OnePlus.

Source: Korea Times

4 COMMENTS

  1. Wow… they should have just acquired webOS from HP… would have given them a head start in development, and made a lot of people happy in the process!

  2. Samsung as a company sucks….pure and simple. Can’t wait for you guys to leave and get your lunch eaten by those cheap Chinese start ups!

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