After forming their own corporation with a round of funding, partnering with OnePlus, and now Qualcomm, things are looking up for Cyanogen. CEO Kirt McMaster sat down with Business Insider to talk about the company, and one interesting tidbit came out of the interview.
Kirt believes that Samsung and Apple won’t be able to stay at the top for long. It won’t be companies like Huawei, LG, Motorola, or HTC that will knock them off their perch though, it will be various startups making low cost handsets. Cyanogen could actually be part of that craze as their software will be part of Qualcomm’s Reference Design (QRD) devices that will release in April. Basically it’s the complete software and hardware package that any startup can use to bring a phone to market within 60 days.
There are already experienced companies like Blu Products in Latin America and Cherry Mobile in the Philippines. According to Kirt…
“All of these guys are arising. They understand local marketing and distribution better than any incumbent that attempts to move into the region. These guys are hustlers; they’re fast moving. They know what it takes to influence market dynamics.”
Samsung and Apple might not even have 5 years according to Kirt….
“It could get pretty bad pretty damn quick. This is often the case. Look what happened to Research In Motion (RIM). Look what happened to Nokia. Last summer Micromax surpassed Samsung as the dominant feature phone player in India. We’re talking literally in eight months this occurred.”
We know that all companies can’t stay on top forever so predicting one’s doom seems bold, but at the same time, when it does happen, the person who predicted it looks brilliant. But let’s not forget that all companies don’t necessarily collapse. Look at Facebook. How many people have been predicting their impending doom as they continue to get bigger and more dominating?
Still, Samsung and Apple need to watch their backs and I am sure they already are. Apple might actually be more in danger since they don’t know how to produce low cost products. At the same time Apple never set out to be the best in terms of market share. They set out to offer the best product. Best or not, lower market shares yield lower profits, which make investors miserable.
The bottom line is that the smartphone market is continuing to evolve and things are likely to be drastically different in a few years not only from many startups, but how about Project Ara? That could really change the game with all kinds of parts from manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon. How will Samsung and Apple fit into that equation?
Stay tuned because I think we are in for a wild ride.
source: Business Insider
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