Tizen Passes BlackBerry In Market Share, Video Explains Why
BlackBerry is gearing up to release the BlackBerry Priv, its hottest product in a long time. And it might need all the help, publicity, and profits it can get from it because according to Strategy Analytics, the fourth largest smartphone platform this quarter, behind Android, IOS, and, yes, Windows Phone, isn't BlackBerry anymore. That spot belongs to an unlikely contender: Tizen OS. Considering how Tizen-powered smartphones are so few compared to BlackBerry devices, that evaluation sounds almost too good to be true. But if it is, the BlackBerry is in for a world of pain.
Of course, we might be counting percentages in single digits when it comes to the bottom three of the world's top 5 mobile platforms, but taken in context, that still a lot to swallow. As far as smartphones are concerned, Tizen is, so far, available in a very limited number of models and markets. BlackBerry OS, in contrast, has a lot more options. But if there is truth to Strategy Analytics third quarter numbers, then perhaps there is also truth to Samsung's boasts about the platform.
Despite public image, Tizen isn't owned by Samsung. It is an open source platform developed by a open group under the eyes of the Linux Foundation. It traces its history back to multiple mobile platforms from Nokia, Intel, and, of course, Samsung. And it isn't limited to smartphones either. Like Android today, it actually embraces a lot more devices, including smartwatches, TVs, and in-vehicle systems.
That said, there is no denying that Samsung is practically driving development and marketing of Tizen. All those devices mentioned above are coincidentally the same devices Samsung has that are powered by Tizen. Samsung continues to do a lot of the heavy lifting to entice developers to take the time to write apps for the platform. Like giving them 100 percent of app revenue, which is music to any developer's ears. At least until December 2016.
It's not certain if Strategy Analytics included those in its equation, because if it did, then that could explain the lead. After all, BlackBerry OS does only run on smartphones and smartphones only.