The mobile operating system market is essentially dominated by two companies despite the fact that it is flooded (or about to be flooded) with numerous competitors. Apple's iOS and Google's Android have basically no tangible threats just yet, but a few are trying to build themselves up, including Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry 10, Ubuntu and Mozilla's upcoming Firefox OS.
Do any of them stand a chance? And what would it mean for users already tapped into the Android ecosystem?
That's the question Android Authority tried to answer recently, though it admittedly came up short. That can't be considered much of a surprise, since Windows Phone is still new, BlackBerry 10 just came out and Ubuntu and Firefox aren't available yet. Even Samsung is planning on getting into the OS business with Tizen, although that's not expected to be available until the second half of this year, either.
If any one of these mobile interfaces becomes popular, though, it could shake iOS and Android out of any sense of complacency. In that respect, the success of Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 or another OS would actually be good for iOS and Android. The success of another competitor would encourage both Apple and Google to step up their games and bring more innovations front and center. To some, iOS has become stale; to others, Android still needs some simplification. If another OS starts taking away market share, those improvements might be placed on the fast track.
On the other hand, a successful third (or fourth) OS means that app developers would have to make tougher decisions concerning which platform to develop for. Right now, creators choose between iOS and Android, often developing for both. A third, unique ecosystem poses more of a challenge, however.
"The rise of a third major mobile platform would mean that companies that specialize in mobile app development will have to invest more time, effort and money into their apps," wrote Android Authority. "Users will experience this phenomenon working against them in one of several ways: an increasing number of apps of paid apps will arise, the average price for paid apps will increase, while the average quality will decrease."
The possibility is broached that focusing on multiplatform HTML5 development would solve many compatibility issues, but at this point we are quite a distance from that sort of future.
How do you think the OS world would change if a third player manages to become successful? Would it be good or bad? Leave us a comment below and let us know.
