There are three operating systems on computers that deserve any recognition. Microsoft’s Windows is the most popular by far. Microsoft focuses solely on software and lets other manufacturers worry about the hardware. Apple’s Mac OSX is a proprietary operating system installed exclusively on their hardware. Linux is a free alternative that can be installed on any machine.
It seems inevitable that the same thing will happen with cellular devices. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile is bought by companies who manufacture the hardware for the phones. Apple’s iPhone OS is exclusively used on their iPhone and iPod touches. Google’s Android is the free, open source alternative for cell phone manufacturers, much like Linux is on computers.
Worldwide Smartphone OS Marketshare as of Q2 2009
What about all the other cell phone operating systems? Most cell phones have custom OS’s. This is a waste of time for all of the companies. They should be focused on the hardware and the software companies should focus on the software. This has worked out well in the PC world. The exception of course is Apple, since they are extremely good at doing both.
Blackberry, Palm’s webOS, and Symbian are a few of the many other popular operating systems. I feel that the only way cell phones will reach their full potential is if most cell phones are compatible with each other. This means they need the same OS. Windows had many, many programs that can be installed because it is a common medium. Cell phones have at least six operating systems for developers to develop on.
Truly it does not matter which operating systems actually come out the victor. The important thing is that two or three will consolidate power and provide a default medium for applications to be developed on.
Tags: Blackberry, iPhone, microsoft, operating system, os, Palm, RIM, Symbian, webOS, windows mobile