In In 2012, Samsungs Bada platform might become open source. The Wall Street Journal quotes a source familiar with the situation as saying that the South Korean company is planning to make Bada software an open source platform next year. The same source has also revealed that Samsung has no plans to buy a software company. This means that different device makers in the world will be able to use Bada for free in their smartphones, tablets and other devices.
Googles Android owes its success primarily to its open-source nature. With a wide range of Android devices in the market, phone buyers have ample choice. Manufacturers too benefit as they can adapt the OS to different uses, and app developers can fill the Android Market with cool and useful apps. When it comes to app ecosystems, open is better, as the numbers of users is often directly proportional to the number of apps.
Samsung will be hoping that once Bada becomes open source, it will also see similar response. The Korean companys move comes after Googles buyout of Motorola Mobility Holdings for $12.5 billion in August. Googles deal has led to speculation that handset makers like Samsung and HTC might lag behind Motorola in securing Android related technology support from Google. Some analysts have also expressed the opinion that Samsung might buy an operating system owned by one of its rivals.
The opening up of Bada is aimed at keeping intact Samsung's strong growth momentum in high-end mobile devices. In the second quarter, Samsung was the second-largest smartphone vendor after Apple Inc. by shipments. According to market researcher Strategy Analytics, Samsung has already overtaken the long-time leader Nokia Corp. Samsungs growth momentum is threatened by Apples worldwide legal action aimed at stopping Samsungs rise in smartphone and tablet space.
The move to make Bada open source, could also turn the OS into a widely used platform for so-called smart TVs, which incorporate advanced functions such as on-demand streaming into flat-screen displays. Samsung is currently the worlds largest manufacturer of flat-screen televisions. It also sells a range of smart TVs, which have a built-in computer running inside, and use an operating system. This year, Samsung aims to sell 12 million smart TVs.
In any case, in present state, Bada has negligible market share. According to Gartner, Bada was on 1.9% of smartphones sold in the second quarter, with just over two million units sold, while Android had a 43.4% market share, with 46.8 million units sold.
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