Samsung’s big unveiling of its new Galaxy smartphone left out a key player: Google.
The hotly anticipated gadget is powered by Google’s Android operating system — yet nary a word was said at the company’s glitzy event at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night to introduce the phone.
Samsung’s snub didn’t stop there. The company’s website touts the phone, which will be available in the US on April 26, but doesn’t mention the latest iteration of Google’s Android, called Jelly Bean.
“You will see not a mention of the word Android,” said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.
While the two companies are strategic allies, they also compete, especially since Google bought Motorola Mobility. The union of those two tech giants is expected to heighten innovation as well as competition in the mobile space.
Samsung execs told Bloomberg News that the company is developing a high-end smartphone based on an operating system called Tizen. It’s unclear whether Samsung can thrive outside the Android ecosystem, which has a deep pool of developers and apps.
It is apparent, however, that Samsung is trying to control its own platform, according to Carolina Milanesi, a Gartner analyst.
“Samsung thinks they are bigger than Android, creating an ecosystem that is a Samsung ecosystem,” Milanesi said. “This is what you need to do if you want to be a big boy, build loyalty to a brand and monetize.”