posted by
Woods
on Thursday June 12 2014, @10:08PM
from the article-titles-that-are-also-songs-I-like dept.
from the article-titles-that-are-also-songs-I-like dept.
Days after Samsung introduced a Tizen OS-based smartphone, a UK-based analyst declared the operating system a non-starter, despite its backing by a consortium of heavyweights including Intel, Samsung and LG Electronics.
"Is Tizen going anywhere? In a word, no," wrote Andrew Sheehy, chief analyst for Generator Research in an online research report. To support his view, Sheehy said the OS is five years behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS and has the support of only a small cadre of developers compared to the millions writing applications for Android and iOS. "Watching Tizen's development is like watching a car crash in slow motion," he wrote.
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Tizen OS Declared 'Dead in the Water'
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Marand on Thursday June 12 2014, @10:35PM
Never ask an analyst about new technology unless you want a pessimistic view entrenched in existing biases. Their answers always seem to be "if it's not already successful it can never be successful." Speculation is fun, but for anything new, you're probably better off asking a magic 8-ball than most analysts.
I'm not saying that I think Tizen will be successful, but you can't trust a broken clock just because it's right twice a day. Analysts also didn't think Apple would be competitive against the entrenched Nokia market, and Android had no chance against Apple, either, and look where we are today.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by stormwyrm on Friday June 13 2014, @05:08AM
True. And skimming through the actual research report kinda shows that Mr. Sheehy's main argument is that Tizen needs to attract a critical mass of developers. To be sure this is the hardest part about getting any new platform started. We like to laugh at Steve "Developers Developers Developers" Ballmer [youtube.com], but he had the right idea. A platform dies without developers to write apps for it. What Mr. Sheehy seems to forget is that there are other ways that a platform can gain such critical mass. The only method he seems to understand is by being first to market, which is how iOS and Android got to where they are. To which I have two words: killer app. If Tizen or some other player can come up with a disruptive application that they can do better than anyone else, well, that may be able to upset the apple cart (no pun intended) enough to make them a real major player. Perhaps by doing something that violates both of Google's and Apple's ethos and business model, to ensure that they will be unwilling to duplicate it on their platform. Google's empire is built on monetising user data for advertising, which Mr. Sheehy for some reason thinks of as the most valuable part of Android. Maybe it is if you're trying to play the same game as Google, but who says that you have to do that?
We really need to start thinking outside the box if there is to be any hope for breaking the iOS-Android duopoly. Microsoft has shown itself signally unable to do so. BlackBerry is the same. The rest of the platforms are still far too young for us to judge at this point.
Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Tramii on Thursday June 12 2014, @11:30PM
I want to see a list of previous predictions from either this Andrew Sheehy or at least from the company Generator Research. Just because you give yourself a fancy title doesn't mean that you deserve it. If this is someone who I should listen to, let him prove it.
(Score: 2) by monster on Friday June 13 2014, @01:29PM
+1
Given that all his arguments come down to "It has few developers right now, so it will fail", unless either he or his company have a solid background of accurate, insightful analysis, we can also see it as "Company unveils new product, random moron lashes it". He even may end being right at the end, but his analysis is too shallow to be taken into account.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Alfred on Friday June 13 2014, @01:33PM
Hello, I am an "online interaction analyst" who specializes in a site called soylentnews.org. I have found your post correct and I predict mod points coming your way for concise accuracy and perfectly cautious stance.
Oh, wait, I have no mod points, never mind. But my title is totally legit.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by tftp on Friday June 13 2014, @12:41AM
I couldn't find time to read the opinion of the analyst. However products survive (or not survive) based on their relative strengths and weaknesses. For example, Tizen could be a preferrable platform for me simply because it is not Google or Apple.
Many facts that are favorable to iOS or Android may flip over time. For example, Google can go insane and end Android. It's not extremely likely, but it's technically possible. Or they can change the license; or they can demand absurd royalties; or they can refuse to support a new CPU or a new I/O method. Android, for example, is pretty good with a touch+display surface, but how many advantages would it have on a device that has none of that (for example, if the only I/O is an analog stick and a beeper?) Can't think of such a device? A coffee maker is one such possibility. Of course, Android can run a coffee machine too, but you aren't getting much of an Android advantage this way; you might just as well run your application in the main loop.
To summarize, the competition between Android and Tizen will be based on advantages of one OS vs. another. The cost of entry for a new entrant is the same, and you can expect lots of new entrants. Yes, app store is important for a smartphone... but a pulse monitoring bracelet has no screen, and it would benefit from an automated firmware update server... which Android does not have.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by joekiser on Friday June 13 2014, @03:13AM
Yeah, Samsung doesn't have to make Tizen better than Android. They just have to keep it within striking distance so that if anything insane happens (such as a court ruling in favor of Oracle on the Java royalty thing), they have a fallback plan. Remember that Apple built OSX on Intel-x86 for five years without ever admitting it. When PowerPC was no longer a viable processor for the desktop market, they were able to make the architecture switch in a few months.
Debt is the currency of slaves.
(Score: 1) by kevingolding2001 on Friday June 13 2014, @09:42AM
All they need to do is not kill battery life.
With Android on my Galaxy S3 it seems to be constant battle to keep it capable of running a full day on a single charge. After disabling/removing multiple "helpful" built-in apps I had got it to the point where I could probably go 2 full days on a charge.
Since a forced-upgrade on the weekend I'm back to the point where it dies every day by lunchtime. I'm seriously considering going back to a basic 'candy-bar' phone simply because 90% of my phone usage is for making phone calls, and I'm prepared to live without the 10% (mostly maps).
If someone did a Tizen phone with a map app and nothing else but could get multiple days on a charge I'd definitely be interested.
(Score: 1) by MuadDib on Friday June 13 2014, @10:27AM
Just buy a non-Samsung phone already! And realise several-day battery life.
(Score: 1) by beardedchimp on Friday June 13 2014, @10:36AM
When android launched ios was miles ahead in terms of features, responsiveness ease of use etc. At the same time Symbian had a huge developer base working on apps and a large back catalogue but according to this analyst it would be doomed to failure.
I don't know if Tizen will succeed but it's stupidity to predict it's failure before it's had a chance to even try.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 13 2014, @11:10AM
News filler. Who cares what this random guy thinks unless he sets corporate policy or makes business deals?