Samsung's Tizen birthing pains
July 28, 2014
The South Korean electronics giant Samsung announced Monday it would delay the rollout of its first ever smartphone based on its new operating system, Tizen, which aims at lessening dependence on rival Google's Android.
The electronics giant said interest among app developers had not yet reached critical mass to justify selling the new phone, the Samsung Z.
Samsung intended to start selling the phone in Russia this quarter before expanding to other markets around the world, but the company admitted it needed more time to "further enhance the Tizen ecosystem."
Apple and Google, with their respective operating systems iOS and Android, were attracting software developers at a much higher rate, the company said.
Samsung did not give a new rollout date for the phone.
Humble beginnings
The delay was a setback in Samsung's plans to reduce the company's reliance on Google's Android to power its Galaxy models of smartphones and tablets.
The world's leading smartphone manufacturer, Samsung has long lacked a popular mobile platform of its own. The company has heralded Tizen as a system not just for phones, but a range of other interconnected devices from wristwatches to home appliances.
Samsung has recently unveiled a line of Tizen-powered products, among them smartwatches and television prototypes.
hg/cjc (AFP, AP)