The mobile common : A guide to mobile open source and its effects on mobile device manufacturers

Abstract

At the beginning of 2009, the global mobile industry is in the midst of a revolution, characterized by a trend towards openness, driven by technological advances, evolving consumer demands and increasing competition. Open mobile operating systems, which allowed third party software development, have existed since 2001, but they haven't had much effect on the industry's business ecosystem or the customers' expectations and demands. The release of the iPhone in 2007 had profound impact not only on dominant design of smartphones and on consumers' expectations, but also on the balance of power in the mobile industry amongst network operators, mobile device manufacturers and software developers. The trend continued with the subsequent announcements of leading industry players that they will develop open source operating systems for mobile phones, and make them accessible to everyone. Today, top mobile device manufacturers are on the verge of releasing dozens of new devices running open source operating systems, which has the potential to completely change the current market share of the players in the market. The purpose of this thesis is to guide product managers in the mobile industry. It examines the historical and current structure of the mobile business ecosystem, reviews latest developments in open operating systems and open source platforms and their affects on industry players today, and identifies potential influences and developments for the future based on analysts' reports assessment, industry experts' viewpoints study, and interviews with industry executives.