Samsung – Gear up MWC

Galaxy Gear could steal the thunder next week.

• Samsung is launching its new line-up on Monday evening at an event in Barcelona.
• While the Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to be one of the most boring launches of the show, there could be some interest around the Galaxy Gear.
• The Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to feature a slightly larger screen with higher resolution and a slightly better camera and that’s about it.
• What is more interesting is the possibility that the Galaxy Gear 2 could be running Tizen rather than Android.
• This would then be running Samsung only services and could be seen by many as the beginning of Samsung’s move off Android and onto Tizen.
• I would refine this view to: this could be the beginning of Samsung’s move off Android in devices where the app. store does not matter.
• The Galaxy Gear has a small screen and is really only a remote control for a smartphone.
• Hence almost all of the Android apps will be irrelevant on this device and therefore there is less of a need to run Android.
• I can see the same thing happening in televisions, fridges, home automation and so on but in smartphones and tablets Android remains critical.  
• This fits with Intel’s activities where it is using Tizen for automotive infotainment and televisions
• A move to Tizen in mobile phones where the app. store and the developers are critical makes no sense at all.
• Android is open source (if you exclude the Google apps.) and there is nothing stopping Samsung from taking Android and making it its own just like Amazon has done.
• That way it takes control of its software and is asking very little of developers when it comes to migrating from Google Android to its own version.
• This will be much easier than asking the entire ecosystem to migrate from Android to Tizen.
• Furthermore, Tizen is not strictly under Samsung’s control.
• It is an industry consortium which is means standardisation by consensus.
• This always results in slower development and a solution that does not fully meet everyone’s needs.
• History is littered with the graves of companies that have tried this approach and I suspect that Samsung is not about to risk its entire handset business on Tizen when it has a better and safer option.
• Net net, I am not expecting much in the way of surprises from Samsung next week and continue to think that the short term outlook for the company and the stock is a bit dull.