The Samsung i8510, running Symbian
I can’t help but feel that Samsung have been here before.
The operating system that powers their critically acclaimed smartphone range is not under their control, but a third party. That third party is telling everyone of the level playing field and the economy of scale benefits it will have, but another manufacturer is moving ever closer to full integration of the hardware and software, threatening Samsung.
Then, the operating system was Symbian, and while the organisation was part owned by Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Sony Ericsson, Matsushita, Psion and Motorola throughout its history, Nokia built up it’s stake until eventually buying out all the partners in December 2008. Symbian’s public goal was always to be platform neutral and to let manufacturers make differentiations at the software level. But Nokia played their cards inside Symbian far better than Samsung, steering the project closer to their vision and becoming the dominant partner… at which point Samsung left.
Now, the operating system is Android, and while the Android core is managed by Google at arms length from partners including Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola, the purchase of Motorola’s mobile division by Google (and the assurances that there won’t be any favouritism) must feel like a little bit of history repeating itself.
There are two clear differences this time around though. The first is sales. Nokia had the lion’s share of Symbian units, and with Android the Samsung Galaxy range is definitely at the top of the Android pile – much like Nokia’s N95 was the leading Symbian phone (before the world went touch-screen slabs).
The second difference is that there’s no place to go if Samsung decide to move to another platform. Symbian is a practical dead end (and is now fully owned by Nokia in any case); iOS is a non-starter for obvious reasons; WebOS failed in the marketplace and unlikely to get another chance.
Samsung do have Bada, a mobile phone platform that’s more suited to the advanced feature phone market, but I fear that the merging of Bada with Intel’s Tizen is going to cause more headaches for the platform, and making it stable for commercial use will take years – and then you have the problem of getting people to develop apps for the handsets.
And then there’s Windows Phone. Samsung do have a number of handsets already on the platform (including the Focus S, which looks so much like a Galaxy S II that UK networks reportedly wouldn’t stock the device as it would cause confusion in their retail stores). But there’s a problem there. Microsoft may be keeping all the Windows Phone hardware partners in check, but one of them is getting a lot more coverage than others. Nokia.
There’s no bolt-hole for Samsung this time. Whatever Google and Motorola get up to, Samsung are going to have to stay on the train. That’s good for Android, but it’s not good for Samsung. While the sales and acclaim will continue for the next year or so, they are not completely in control of their own fate. Samsung must have brainstormed the “what if” scenarios. Can they get Bada/Tizen ready for the smartphones, will the acceleration of Windows Phone prove a useful level at any negotiating table, or will they accept the Motorola issue with Android and ensure things are different this time around?
Every year is an interesting year for those of us watching the smartphone world – and where Samsung go next is just one of the stories that I can’t wait to see play out.
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