Samsung Goes Tizen-Powered Devices in 2013
Analysts Doubt Samsung's Immediate Android Exit
Samsung is allocating significant amounts of energy to Tizen in 2013, confirming reports that the Asian tech giant is planning device releases this year running on the Linux-based mobile operating system.
"We plan to release new, competitive Tizen devices within this year and will keep expanding the lineup depending on market conditions," Bloomberg Businessweek reported Samsung as saying.
The Samsung statement, however, dodged away from earlier reports that future smartphone and tablets from the tech firm will gradually move away from Android, the mobile OS owned by Google and not fully controlled by gadget manufacturers using them.
There were earlier indications that Samsung would want to reconfigure its mobile device business by making all its offerings in-house. Top Samsung officials have expressed desires last year to develop its own operating system, giving it more leverage and possibly more revenues following Apple's model.
Yet according to BGR News, the Tizen approach is geared at the moment to regional markets, indicating that Samsung is not bent anytime soon to sell its Galaxy product lines outside of the Android sphere.
It is quite clear though that "Samsung is inching away from Android. If not Android as a platform, then Android in its current state at the very least," BGR's Zach Epstein wrote.
One viable alternative for Samsung is to take after the Amazon way, tech experts said. Amazon uses Android on Kindle Fire but the Google platform is effectively overwhelmed by the online retail giant's built-in services that came with the Kindle tablets.
Amazon was successful on its tactic because it is backed by an established inner ecosystem, which Mr Epstein said is not the case with Samsung right now.
Clearly, Samsung's exit from Google's ecosystem will not transpire this year, analysts said. Galaxy fans can still look forward to enjoy the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 2013 releases with direct access to Android-designed apps, they added.