Would you stick with Samsung if they moved their flagships to Tizen as long as it ran Android apps.

[Almeuit]

The point is that they are trying to do it and it has to be scaring the hell out of Google which is why they are trying to move into hardware manufacturing in the same way that Apple does it. If they don't they find themselves left behind.

There is no evidence they're doing it for their phones. Testing new software and ideas doesn't mean it is instantly going to be a thing. Companies test ideas and stuff all the time. As Jerry said even a Samsung guy admitted that would be the death of them. You can't just launch a whole new OS because you decide it is time to ditch. As 1213 said -- Without app support people won't use it. Just take a peak at Windows phone if you don't believe me.

 

[ateamlawn]

There is no evidence they're doing it for their phones. Testing new software and ideas doesn't mean it is instantly going to be a thing. Companies test ideas and stuff all the time. As Jerry said even a Samsung guy admitted that would be the death of them. You can't just launch a whole new OS because you decide it is time to ditch. As 1213 said -- Without app support people won't use it. Just take a peak at Windows phone if you don't believe me.

Samsung has admitted publicly that they were considering it. They even released a handset that ran Tizen. I don't remember the name of it but it never came to America. If Samsung will ever make any big advancements in their market share it's a move they will have to make. Don't forget most people are not like us. They won't care as long as it's a good product. Samsung is definitely looking for a way to make it happen.

 

[Almeuit]

Samsung has admitted publicly that they were considering it. They even released a handset that ran Tizen. I don't remember the name of it but it never came to America. If Samsung will ever make any big advancements in their market share it's a move they will have to make. Don't forget most people are not like us. They won't care as long as it's a good product. Samsung is definitely looking for a way to make it happen.

That is the thing -- most people aren't like us. You think they're going to go try some unknown OS just because it has Samsung? No. They will stay with what they know. Look at Windows Phone. A handful of "normal" people got it and swapped back because it turned into "I don't have this app, that app, or that app" type of cases due to developers mainly doing it for iOS / Android.

Again not saying it is impossible but it isn't just something that can swap and instantly be a big hit. Support has to be there and so does usability. A phone can be super sweet but have no apps to run and therefore -- pointless. People will go with what they know works.

 

[Laura Knotek]

That is the thing -- most people aren't like us. You think they're going to go try some unknown OS just because it has Samsung? No. They will stay with what they know. Look at Windows Phone. A handful of "normal" people got it and swapped back because it turned into "I don't have this app, that app, or that app" type of cases due to developers mainly doing it for iOS / Android.

Again not saying it is impossible but it isn't just something that can swap and instantly be a big hit. Support has to be there and so does usability. A phone can be super sweet but have no apps to run and therefore -- pointless. People will go with what they know works.

Samsung tried Windows Phone and gave up, due to the lack of sales (which is mainly due to the lack of apps).

Back in the day, Samsung was a big OEM for legacy Windows Mobile.

 

[T48]

Samsung has admitted publicly that they were considering it. They even released a handset that ran Tizen. I don't remember the name of it but it never came to America. If Samsung will ever make any big advancements in their market share it's a move they will have to make.

You are correct that Samsung did release 2 or 3 variants of Tizen powered smartphones in India. Can only imagine the powerhouse they would be if they had a proprietary op system similar to Apple. By similar to Apple, also mean with that sort of following. At this point, Apple could release a rotary dial ios 11 that would have a cult defending it.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Here is the concern i'd have with Tizen....

I think back on Touchwiz, and how long it took Samsung to get that refined to a point where it wasn't hideous, and even still there's plenty of ridiculous aspects, such as the bright ugly orangish-yellow shade they decided on for the messages app. So my fear, is that they are incapable of making good aesthetic decisions on an entire operating system. They managed to take a nice looking pure Android and add cool features, but hideous aspects. They need to prove that they're capable of both things before i'd be comfortable going all in with Tizen.

 

[ateamlawn]

That is the thing -- most people aren't like us. You think they're going to go try some unknown OS just because it has Samsung? No. They will stay with what they know. Look at Windows Phone. A handful of "normal" people got it and swapped back because it turned into "I don't have this app, that app, or that app" type of cases due to developers mainly doing it for iOS / Android.

Again not saying it is impossible but it isn't just something that can swap and instantly be a big hit. Support has to be there and so does usability. A phone can be super sweet but have no apps to run and therefore -- pointless. People will go with what they know works.

Most people that use Samsung phones don't even know what Android is. All they know is Samsung. That's why my question was " if it ran Android apps ". I believe if they could accomplish that the next move would be to develop their ecosystem.

 

[Almeuit]

Most people that use Samsung phones don't even know what Android is. All they know is Samsung. That's why my question was " if it ran Android apps ". I believe if they could accomplish that the next move would be to develop their ecosystem.

And you think Google would just let them basically copy Android code to make it run Android apps but brand as their own?

 

[ThrottleJohnny]

I'm not sure this would ever happen with their mobile division, especially now, with their brand experiencing such a downturn.

What I can see them doing is returning to making more advanced smartphones than the competition. Their focus will return to being the leader.

 

[ateamlawn]

And you think Google would just let them basically copy Android code to make it run Android apps but brand as their own?

BlackBerry did it. It's also happening with in China with OSs they are developing.

 

[Almeuit]

BlackBerry did it. It's also happening with in China with OSs they are developing.

I think that may have been Windows that did a "copy your app and it turns to our code" type of thing. IIRC I don't think it still worked nearly as well as it sounds so devs still had to go in and program for it... So back to my original point of needing support for that OS. If devs don't want to deal with it then people will go back to the ones they do support.

 

[dejanh]

Tizen is very solid. If it seamlessly ran Android apps and supported Google Services (even if they have to be installed separately) I would have no issue with this.

 

[ateamlawn]

I'm not sure this would ever happen with their mobile division, especially now, with their brand experiencing such a downturn.

What I can see them doing is returning to making more advanced smartphones than the competition. Their focus will return to being the leader.

I think if they have the technology to do it they must do it within the next couple of cycles because I believe Google is not going to allow them to continue to be the giant that they are. Google's vision was never to allow one manufacturer to gain over 50%of Android devices. Open your eyes. Google wants to move Android in the direction they currently have with Android Wear but the OEMs are bucking. Google knows it has a great product but they are losing control and they are trying to reign it back in. The OEMs are starting to demand more of the revenue generated by Android especially the big ones like Samsung. They believe that if Google won't give them a bigger piece of the pie they will take their customers and go.

 

[ThrottleJohnny]

I think if they have the technology to do it they must do it within the next couple of cycles because I believe Google is not going to allow them to continue to be the giant that they are. Google's vision was never to allow one manufacturer to gain over 50%of Android devices. Open your eyes. Google wants to move Android in the direction they currently have with Android Wear but the OEMs are bucking. Google knows it has a great product but they are losing control and they are trying to reign it back in. The OEMs are starting to demand more of the revenue generated by Android especially the big ones like Samsung. They believe that if Google won't give them a bigger piece of the pie they will take their customers and go.

To answer your question. No, it would not deter me from considering Samsung products.

 

[team420]

And you think Google would just let them basically copy Android code to make it run Android apps but brand as their own?

Isn't android basically based on Linux code? Which is open source?

Yeah, sure, a couple tweaks here and there, and now it's different, but still Linux based. It's the source code that matters, and the source is Linux.

 

[team420]

I think if they have the technology to do it they must do it within the next couple of cycles because I believe Google is not going to allow them to continue to be the giant that they are. Google's vision was never to allow one manufacturer to gain over 50%of Android devices. Open your eyes. Google wants to move Android in the direction they currently have with Android Wear but the OEMs are bucking. Google knows it has a great product but they are losing control and they are trying to reign it back in. The OEMs are starting to demand more of the revenue generated by Android especially the big ones like Samsung. They believe that if Google won't give them a bigger piece of the pie they will take their customers and go.

I agree with this, aside from 1 major point. Google has decided that 1 manufacturer can control 50+ % percent of the Android market, as long as it's google. They developed android, and let the manufacturers market it, and produce devices to run it....

Now that android is mainstream... they want to cash in on their chunk of the pie. I saw it coming when Google bought motorola.

 

[donm527]

I can imagine Samsung could have Touchwiz/Grace UI and their own apps running better on a Tizen phone. A Note 7 type phone with their Grace UI and S-pen with all S-Pen features running on Tizen would be an interesting phone. But if it doesnt have at least half the app support of iOS or Android and signs of strong developer support, it's a non-starter for me and guess for many.

Going back to your original question... Openmobile application compatibility layer sounds interesting but no recent news and I can't imagine the experience being that great running apps in emulation mode. I actually think Microsoft has a better chance if they every come out with a Windows 10 phone with win32 compatibility.

Right now... Microsoft has over 600,00 phone apps. Apple has 2 million. Android actually has more at 2.2 million which surprised me. Blackberry has over 130,000 apps.

Samsung needs a Siri/OK Google... they just bought Viv. They still have a long way to go in dumping Android for there own Tizen happen.

They sold 3 million Tizen phones in India last year. I think they sold roughly over 300 million Android phones last year? They are not abandoning Android anytime soon.

 

[team420]

Idk about that....

They only sold 3m tizen phones, but their flagships were all druids. If they released a flagship on tizen, maybe those numbers would be different?

Just playing Devils advocate here.... there's absolutely no way for anyone other than samsung to determine the answer to that

 

[jhimmel]

BlackBerry did it. It's also happening with in China with OSs they are developing.

Anyone can make an OS that runs Android apps (sort of), but it will not get Google Play Services. A growing number of apps are dependant on Google Play Services, shrinking the amount of apps that will run without issues. That was part of the problem for BlackBerry. Look at them now - beat into submission and putting out Android phones. Look at the Amazon App Store. Same problem - no Google Play Services support (because of forked Android) and a pitifull selection of apps. Android is open source, Google Play Services is not, and require you to meet Google terms for access.

 

[keat63]

Hey call me cynical, but i've said for years that Google is funded by governments.
Think about it.. the government try to introduce a snooping law and everyone kicks up a fuss, an infringement on our human rights, freedom of speech etc.
Yet we gladly use an android device all day long that's logging your whereabouts, tracking your movements, hosting your email, logging your browsing history and interests.
Google know more about you than you do yourself.

So I wonder ..... do the CIA have shares in Google/Android .... mmmmm