The Hot new
comers of the Smartphone OS market and how they stack up against Android ?
Android has been on the scene for less than a
decade and has still managed to make waves everywhere. For quite a while now,
more than two-thirds of the new devices that are introduced into the market run
on the Android OS. This speaks volumes about the popularity of this operating
system, particularly in recent times.
Even though Apple’s iOS comes in second place, it
still is pretty far behind the current rage – Android, with a market share of
12.9 %. IDC has recently announced that in Q3 2013, 211.6 million Android
devices were sold across the world. This has helped the operating system get a
hold of 81 % of the smartphone market, which is quite a monopoly.
With its highly-personalised user interface and
an almost unending list of apps, Android is firmly established as the leading
OS in the world today. This is enough to cause trepidation for any new OS that
intends to compete with this OS giant.
A Few Upcoming
Operating Systems:
There are many new operating systems that are now
making their way into the market. These operating systems could provide some
competition to Android, particularly if they woo the consumers with a user
experience that is better than what they’re accustomed to. The big question
then is: can they make a dent in Android’s share of the market?
For those of you who want to know about the other
options are available in the market, you’ll be surprised to know that there is
quite a variety indeed, when it comes to mobile OSs.
Firefox OS
Firefox OS has two new smartphones in its roster,
namely the 3.5-inch Keon device and the 4.3-inch Peak. Both these devices and
many more in the future will run on Firefox’s own operating system. This
Linux-based operating system is designed in such a way so as to allow HTML 5
apps to use Javascript in order to integrate with the hardware of the device.
Sailfish OS
The Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS made waves in the market from the day that its
launch was officially announced. This MeeGo subsidiary is a company that is
made up of about one hundred employees, most of them being former Nokia
employees. The Jolla smartphone that is powered by this OS aims to give its
users an absolutely new and delightful user experience. We had already discussed on how Sailfish stacksup in the OS market earlier.
Ubuntu OS
This Linux distribution is designed to turn heads
too. One of the primary goals of this new OS seems to be to break through the
stronghold that Android and Apple’s iOS have in the smartphone market.
Canonical plans on targeting two major segments of society with this new OS:
the entry level sector and the enterprise sector.
What Do These New
Operating Systems Intend To Do?
The one thing that all of these upcoming
operating systems have in common is their desire to take over the market, to
whatever extent. Android has a hold of the largest chunk of the market, in
terms of sales, followed by iOS. Newer entrants will be hard pressed to work
around these market dynamics
The Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS is an
example of a new Os that is trying to make big waves in the market. This new
device cashes in on the Android rage, by ensuring compatibility with
approximately 85,000 Android apps.
It also has Nokia’s HERE maps, which cover one
hundred and eighty countries. The Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS is entirely
gesture-based, and users are required to swipe for everything. The system runs
smoothly despite being a new OS and the entire experience of using the device
is a pleasant one indeed.
Firefox and Ubuntu meanwhile are appealing to a more Open app culture with patronage from low cost manufacturers. Firefox has a long history of being a viable alternative in the browser market, it would be interesting to see how they take up the challenge of Mobile OS. Ubuntu provides perhaps the best “free” alternative in the market and should on its own engage the independent developer community more than Android or Apple.
Firefox and Ubuntu meanwhile are appealing to a more Open app culture with patronage from low cost manufacturers. Firefox has a long history of being a viable alternative in the browser market, it would be interesting to see how they take up the challenge of Mobile OS. Ubuntu provides perhaps the best “free” alternative in the market and should on its own engage the independent developer community more than Android or Apple.
Will Such
Operating Systems Succeed In Matching Up To Android?
Smartphones that are powered by these new
operating systems are usually relatively cheaper than those that are powered by
established OSs such as Apple’s iOS. This gives people the added benefit of
being able to get their hands on the latest that technology has to offer, at an
affordable price too.
Sailfish OS, Mozilla OS and a few others have
chosen to focus their attention on what their customers really want, and have
left no stone unturned in giving them devices that are truly worth their money.
Having said that, it is rather unlikely that
these new operating systems will be able to steal the thunder from Android.
Even though they provide their users with many benefits, they still have a long
way to go before they can impact Android’s sales in such a way as to boost
their own. Android being as widely accepted and loved as it is around the
world, rival OSs will definitely need to work very hard before they can match up
to Android’s rather high benchmark.
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