Last updated April 12, 2019
Samsung Electronics announced yesterday that it has signed software deals with both Microsoft and Intel as the company, which is the second biggest maker of cell phones in the entire world, begins to strengthen its mobile software push.
Samsung has very quickly become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of smartphones, assisted by the number of devices it offers that use the Android operating system belonging to Google. Industry analysts however believe that the new deals announced on Wednesday seem to signal the beginning of the company moving away from its dependence on Android after Google spent $12.5 million acquiring Motorola Mobility last month.
“The Google Motorola deal certainly gives Samsung some motivation to lessen its dependence on Android,” believes Avian Securities analyst Matthew Thornton.
Samsung, which has used Microsoft software in days gone by, has signed a deal with the computing giant for the developing and marketing of Windows cell phones, as well as a wide patent cross licensing deal. Earlier on the same day, two Linux software groups backed by Samsung and Intel respectively, announced that they were joining forces and basically merging their Meego and LiMo operating systems in a bid to get wider support from both the general public and the industry as a whole.
Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston says that the best hope for the merged groups is if “big operators get worried by Android… and decide to consciously switch their allegiances to rival platforms to restrict Google’s huge influence”.