On the evening of August 7 Beijing time, Samsung Electronics Co-CEO J.K. Shin stated in an interview this week that the Tizen system, primarily developed by Samsung, is not just a sideline for the company or an "alternative to Android." In the future, it will be used in various devices, including cars.
J.K. Shin currently oversees Samsung's IT and mobile communications department. He said, "Future convergence is not limited to smartphones, tablets, PCs, and cameras among IT devices but will also involve multiple different industries such as automobiles, biotechnology, and banking. Cross-industry convergence is a field where Samsung excels; we already have a variety of businesses and finished products."
Although Tizen is an open-source system, Samsung and Intel have led its development. At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February this year, Tizen received significant attention. The system has been gradually releasing new versions and slowly gaining support from developers.
For Samsung, Tizen is very important because it is a system over which Samsung has strong control. The hot sales of the Galaxy S series phones made Samsung a leader in the global smartphone market, but these phones all run on Google's Android system. Although Samsung currently has a good relationship with Google, it is evident that Samsung tends to gradually reduce its dependence on Google and use more self-developed software.
Tizen's recent development has not been smooth, and Samsung has postponed the launch of its first Tizen phone to the fourth quarter. This delay has led many to speculate that Samsung's enthusiasm for building a platform is waning. J.K. Shin denied rumors that Samsung would abandon Tizen. He still emphasized that, similar to Android and Windows Phone, Samsung views Tizen as a key operating system.
Besides smartphones, Tizen can also be used in cars. J.K. Shin mentioned that the automotive industry is one Samsung might enter, and its partner Intel also expressed confidence in Tizen's application in cars. Sources close to Intel stated that Tizen aligns well with the automotive industry's need for differentiation, but products combining Tizen with cars are unlikely to emerge before 2015.
Samsung and Intel are not the only smartphone manufacturers focusing on the car market. Apple announced in June this year that iOS 7 could be applied to cars, allowing iPhones to integrate with car dashboard systems. General Motors has taken steps to incorporate Apple's voice assistant service Siri into their software. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins also discussed the possibility of applying the BlackBerry platform to cars. QNX, the foundation of BlackBerry 10, has already been used in cars and other devices.
Expanding business beyond smartphones is crucial for Samsung. J.K. Shin stated that "cross-industry" is a keyword in Samsung's strategy, and the company is laying the groundwork for entering industries like automobiles.
J.K. Shin also discussed Samsung's new developments in the tablet market. With a range of different sizes, Samsung tablets have captured a significant portion of the market share from Apple. Samsung still views the tablet market as a growth area, which can help offset the adverse effects of slowing growth in the smartphone business. However, J.K. Shin did not disclose more details, merely stating: "Samsung will soon release good news about tablets, please stay tuned." (Weijin)