Could we have an India-specific mobile platform?




Chinese search giant Baidu recently announced  the launch of an Android-based mobile platform called Yi, which means 'easy' in English. Currently, the platform comprises a set of tools available to developers to create mobile apps for Baidu products and services. But there seem to be strong indications that Baidu is taking steps towards developing an operating system with a user interface, which will eventually find its way onto phones. Chinese e-commerce portal Alibaba has already launched its own Linux-based Aliyun OS.

With 200 million registered users, Baidu is one of the largest sites in the world - to be precise, the sixth largest. And as China's Google, with 80% market share, it certainly has enough user base to develop its own mobile operating system.

Update : Dell has just confirmed that it will partner with Baidu to produce tablets and handsets.

There's more. Now the South Korean government has plans to join hands with local companies like Samsung and LG to develop an open source mobile operating system that will rival Google and Apple. Apparently, the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google and its emergence as a potential competitor in the hardware space has made the prospect of an alternate platform to Android, more attractive to Samsung.

These two pieces of news signal a potentially new trend in mobile OS development. Asian countries are the fastest growing mobile markets in the world, and the majority of users would not have comfort with English as a language. There is a huge opportunity to tailor an operating system, and user interface to the needs of the local population, especially if the operating system can link to local language content, as Baidu will be doing.

In India, one can add to this the challenge of adapting an operating system to lower income groups, and users with lower levels of literacy, who rely primarily on icon/ visual based navigation.

Idea for an Indian entrepreneur -

1) Get venture capital to develop a basic operating system for the masses. Vernacular language and visual based. It's not that difficult or costly. Baidu is creating a 'fork' of Android - using the open source and free code to build its own operating system, stripped of Google's apps, marketplace etc. In short, completely independent of Google.

2) Tie it closely up with local language content providers (including vernacular news channels, internet radio stations, Bollywood studios and TV production houses)

3) Sell it to local handset manufacturers - Micromax, Wyncomm etc. Given the interest of companies like Samsung and LG in the Indian market, maybe even they would go with it.

4) Figure out a viable business model (no, I am not going to do that in a blog post!) Possibly though, it could be advertising funded. The HLLs of the world can afford to buy expensive TV advertising, but a lot of companies that target small town and rural India cannot compete with them on ad budgets. They would gladly buy cheaper ad space on mobiles, especially as mobiles can reach media-dark consumers in India.

Horace Dideu notes that mobile platforms have proliferated in the last 2 years - currently the count stands at 15. We should see many more coming as smartphone penetration climbs upwards.






Comments

  1. Phani BhushanFebruary 10, 2012 at 3:20 AM

    Really it make sense to go for India specific mobile OS . I am unable to figure out VC's who are interested in such venture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NishaFebruary 13, 2012 at 6:21 AM

      It makes a lot of sense, but the handset partners have to be convinced of viability. I am sure they would be, if they see it creating a differentiator vis-a-vis other handsets and not adding too much to costs.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FastTAG woes on Mumbai Pune Expressway

Image
Since December 1, 2017, it has been made mandatory for all vehicles sold in India to have a FASTag fitted on the windscreen, either by the manufacturer, or an authorized dealership at the time of sale. The FASTag is a simple to use, rechargeable tag which enables automatic deduction of tolls at toll plazas across the country. The Tag employs RFID technology and is linked to a prepaid account to facilitate recharge. You can link your FASTag to your PayTM, ICICI or HDFC bank account, but will eventually be bank neutral. The FASTag is being promoted actively in India by multiple agencies including NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) and the Indian Highways Management company. Currently it is claimed that FASTag is operational at 400 toll plazas in state and national highways. In a bid to increase adoption, the NHAI recently made FASTags available through petrol pumps. There are obviously multiple benefits of FASTag for a motorist – a faster, more convenient way to p
Read more

5 budget MP3 players to replace your iPod Nano

Image
With Apple finally discontinuing the Nano and Shuffle in 2017, three years after killing the iPod Classic, many people felt that the MP3/DAP (Digital Audio Player) era was finally coming to an end.  The short answer – it’s not true. Unlike the compact Digital Camera which has died a natural death, bowing to the equivalent (or increasingly, better) cellphone camera, Digital Audio Players have survived the onslaught of smartphones. They are no longer as cool as the Walkman and Discman were amongst an earlier generation of youngsters, but they are staples amongst a small but passionate community of audiophiles. Even Apple has chosen to retain the iPod Touch in its product lineup, with options of 32GB or 128 GB capacity. Quite a few friends have pinged me after the demise of Apple’s mid-priced and budget priced DAP offerings, asking for alternatives. Here is a list of products that you can look at, across price points. Do note, that the devices listed here are Nano/Shuf
Read more

Google Map and confusions on Indian Highways

Image
I rely 100% on Google Maps for accuarate navigation within the city, whether its my home town commuting, or a walk to nearby restaurants when I am a tourist in a new place. This year, when my family and I made two long road trips, covering nearly 4000 km in the span of a few days, I naturally turned to my old ally to plan the journey. This is a big transition compared to our earlier journey planning. I still have the physical maps (anyone remember map of Maharashtra? South India?) that we used in my school days to plan trips. Dad and I would trace the routes, calculate the distance and then write down in a notebook where we would make a halt each day. Against each day, we would also write down the petrol consumption, mileage and expenses. Of course, life does not operate according to a map. We still needed to check signboards, ask people when we got lost and take Uturns because we went down the wrong road. Does this change because of Google Maps? Actually, it does
Read more