How do you feel when you are at the office or hanging out with friends and you suddenly realize you have left your smartphone at home? No doubt most people would freak out!
They would feel uncomfortable to the point of heading back home just to pick up the device. It is no exaggeration to say that we seem to be more dependent on it than it is on us! But do you know what gives your smartphone such great performance? That's right, it is the Mobile operating system.
A Mobile operating system, also known as Mobile OS, Mobile platform, or handheld operating system, is an operating system that controls a mobile device. It is similar in principle to an operating system such as Linux or Windows in a PC.
However, it is somewhat simpler and deals more with the wireless versions and local connectivity, with multimedia mobile formats and different input methods.
Operating systems for smart-phones include Symbian, iPhone, BlackBerry's RIM, Windows Mobile, Linux, Palm WebOS and Android. Android and WebOS are platforms of Linux, and iPhone is derived from the BSD and NeXTSTEP operating systems, which all are related to Unix.
The increasing demand for smart phones has triggered hectic competition among technology giants, like Microsoft, Apple and RIM, in a bid to capture a bigger share of the market. However, relatively young tech firms like Symbian are among those in the lead for the OS market, particularly for smartphones. Based on GfK data, there are some key players in the Indonesia OS market, as listed below:
Symbian: This OS has the largest share in most markets worldwide. It is used by many major handset manufacturers, including LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Nokia.
RIM BlackBerry: This OS focuses on easy operation and was originally designed for business. Recently it has seen a surge in third-party applications and has been improved to offer full multimedia support.
Microsoft provides Windows Mobile 6.5 as its latest OS for mobile devices, which was launched in October 2009. Windows Mobile benefits from a low entry barrier for third-party developers to write new applications for the platform.
Overall, Symbian dominates the smart phone OS market in Indonesia, with a more than 70 percent share in the third quarter of 2009. This situation may change in the future as we see more and more brands launching Windows-Mobile and Android based devices.
Nowadays, most people purchase a smartphone with handset functions as their main consideration instead of the OS function. But can you imagine what your smartphone OS will actually be able to do for you in the future?
They may give you not only easy access for browsing or to complete your music tracks, but in the near future it is likely that your device will be able to tell you, for example, the best daily menu for your health based on your individual medical report! Who knows? Let's wait and see. Don't forget to choose wisely based on your needs instead of simply following the market trend.
The writer is a market analyst at GfK Retail and Technology Indonesia.
