Mobile Operating Systems, the New Generation V1.01 FINAL
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Executive Summary Much has changed from the world of open operating Contents systems of 2003. The mobile software market has Chapter A: Mobile Software Today: Open OSs, Linux grown into a landscape of 100s of vendors where and other Misperceptions understanding the roles, functionality, lines of A.1. The New Generation of Operating Systems partnership and competition across software products A.2. Linux: Myth and Reality is a complex endeavour, even for a seasoned industry A.3. Java: A False Start, But Efforts Continue observer. This paper aims to help change that. A.4. Nokia against Symbian A.5. Conclusions and Market Trends The paper firstly presents the key software layers for mobile phones today and explains the importance of Chapter B: Making Sense of Operating Systems, UI application execution environments and UI frameworks. Frameworks and Application Environments Section A then examines common misperceptions in Chapter C: Product reviews the software market of 2006; the flexible OS genre as In-Depth reviews of A la Mobile, Access Linux the successor to the open OSs, the myth and reality Platform, Adobe Flash Lite, GTK+, MiniGUI, Mizi behind Linux for mobile phones, and the false start but Prizm, Montavista Mobilinux, Nokia S60, Obigo, continued efforts around J2ME. Chapter B compares Openwave Midas, Qualcomm Brew, SavaJe, several software platforms for product functionality, Symbian OS, Trolltech Qtopia, UIQ And Windows licensees and speed of market penetration. Mobile. A reference section follows, consisting of 2-page Chapter D: Trends in the Mobile Software Market reviews of 16 key software products, covering historical Open OSes are out; Flexible OSs are in product background, positioning, technology, strategy, Commoditisation of the core OS technology and including the author’s critical viewpoint. Verticalisation of technology supply Consolidation of platform demand The final chapter analyses the five key trends that will 2006: The turning point for Linux overshadow the mobile software market in 2006-2009. Firstly, software flexibility vs openness will be the Methodology critical theme for successful operating systems. To research the market and products analysed in this Secondly, as the sale value line moves towards paper, the author conducted interviews with A la Mobile, middleware and upper software layers, so the core Adobe, Microsoft, Mizi Research, MontaVista, Obigo, operating system technology will commoditise. Thirdly, Openwave, PalmSource, Qualcomm QIS, SavaJe, technology verticalisation is gradually taking place, with Symbian, Trolltech and UIQ. The views and information vendors merging or partnering to offer out-of-the-box presented in this paper as well as the product reviews pre-integrated software stacks. In symmetry, the are independent and in no way biased towards the demand for software platforms is consolidating, with not sponsor of this paper. only manufacturers, but also enterprises and mobile operators making a choice of platform. Acknowledgements We believe that 2006 marks a turning point in the The author would like express his gratitude to a number history of Linux as a mobile phone platform, not only of individuals who assisted with information, and due to Motorola’s recent commitment, but also the feedback on this paper, during the project research: wealth of products and support services from a growing Hampus Jakobsson, Guy Agin, Philippe Silberzahn, commercial community. Longer term, we believe Linux- Franck Lefevre, Matt Lewis, David Wood, Don Liberty, based platforms will prevail over many of today’s Richard Kinder, Jeff Waugh, Bill Weinberg, Madeline credible contestants, as will Microsoft’s Windows Duva, Juha Christensen, Mark Melling, Andy Tiller, Mobile. Peter Whale and other individuals who wish to remain anonymous About VisionMobile web: www.visionmobile.com VisionMobile is a boutique firm delivering strategy email: [email protected] consulting, industry research and technology training in address: 84 Kirkland Avenue, Clayhall, the wireless sector. VisionMobile brings together Ilford Essex IG5 0TN, UK passionate people with industry and technology know- phone: +44 (207) 099 3934 how and innovative thinking. About the author Dr. Andreas Constantinou, Director of VisionMobile, is an analyst and consultant with eight years experience in research, development and strategy in telecoms. His areas of focus are mobile handsets, mobile software, device management, operator strategy, wireless market trends and disruptive technologies. Andreas has worked on numerous product and marketing strategy projects for companies including Orange, France Telecom R&D, T-Mobile, Idem, and Red Bend, in addition to authoring research reports and white papers for analyst firms Informa and ARCchart. He is also the Technology Editor and a monthly columnist for telecoms magazines ‘InfoCom’ and ‘Mobile Telephony’ and is regularly invited at international telecoms conferences as a speaker and chairman. Andreas holds a Ph.D. in Image & Video Compression from the Disclaimers University of Bristol, UK. VisionMobile believes the statements contained in this publication to be based upon information that we consider reliable, but we do not represent that it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. Opinions expressed are current opinions as of the date appearing on this publication only and the information, including the opinions contained herein, are subject to change without notice. Use of this publication by any third party for whatever purpose should not, and does not, absolve such third party from using due diligence in verifying the publication’s contents. VisionMobile disclaims all implied warranties, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. VisionMobile, its affiliates and representatives, shall have no liability for any direct, incidental, special, or consequential damages or lost profits, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made, or not made, or actions taken, or not taken, based on this publication. Cover image: Six Athletes Holding Batons at the Starting Line of a Relay Race / Digital Vision / Getty Images Mobile Software Today: A Open OSs, Linux and other Misperceptions A.1 | The New Generation of Operating Systems A conceptual model for software applications, but are not visible to the user. Mobile phone software has come a long way in Examples are messaging and the last few years. The industry of mobile communications engines, WAP/web page software circa 2002-3 comprised of the so-called renderers, multimedia codecs, security open operating systems for high-end handsets, subsystem and device management. and the little known world of software vendors The application execution environment for mainstream handsets that worked within (AEE), an application manager and set closed manufacturer circles. application programming interfaces (APIs) The software landscape in 2006 is greatly more which allow external developers or complex. The boundary between software for manufacturers to develop handset high-end and mainstream handsets has almost applications. disappeared. Software products from tens of The user interface (UI) framework , a set major vendors can be mixed and matched in of graphics components (screens, buttons, countless permutations. Understanding the roles, lists, etc) and an interaction framework that functionality, lines of partnership and competition gives handset applications their look & feel. across software products is a complex endeavour, even for a seasoned industry The application suite , the set of core observer. handset applications such as the idle- screen, dialler, application launcher or menu To help the reader navigate along the complex screen, contacts, calendar, inbox, browser labyrinth of vendors and products, we present a shell and settings screens that form the conceptual model for the mobile phone software interface that the phone user experiences that makes up a typical mid-range or high-end most of the time. handset. Phone software can be visualised as a software stack of functional layers, from bottom Reusing a term from the Linux world, a to top: distribution is the complete, integrated stack of software components, from top to bottom that The kernel , the core of the software which powers a mobile handset. Within this includes hardware drivers, memory, conceptualisation of software, we take the term filesystem and process management. operating system to mean a pre-integrated The middleware layer, the set of peripheral software stack that includes the kernel and software libraries which enable handset drivers. The depth of a software stack VisionMobile research 2 “represents a trade-off between completeness functionality corresponding to each layer; the and flexibility, between time-to-market and room examples shown contain a degree of to add visible value”, as notes OSDL’s Bill oversimplification as a product never neatly fits Weinberg. into any single category. An often-used term in describing software stacks From horizontal to vertical is the value line , which we define as the point in The conceptual model of stacked horizontal the software stack below which vendors are layers of functionality becomes in reality much finding it difficult to demand per-unit royalties more complex. Each product typically has to use from product sales. As the commoditisation of and integrate functionality from several different the kernel and core OS increases, so the