Why Incumbents Android And iOS Need To Watch It

New operating systems are on the heels of the incumbents. What you need to know about mobile device, OS-upstarts, like Sailfish, Firefox OS, and Tizen.

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that Android muscled its way onto iOS’s podium. In fact, it was only a little over six years ago, in 2008, that iOS shuffled into Palm and Windows Mobile’s scene. The first commercial version of Android came out that same year.  Palm OS, and Windows CE, came out in 1996, if you can remember that far back.

Well, over the years, we haven’t seen all that much in the way of competition to the big three: Android, iOS, and Windows.  But that might be changing, due in part to escalating development, and now hardware releases, of a few open-source whippersnappers. Plus, our UX requirements are changing and the incumbents may not be keeping up.

Sailfish, Firefox OS, and Tizen are very real alternatives, with varying prospects, that are snapping at the heels of the big three.  And if you think mobile operating systems are fragmented right now, It’s going to get worse.  Here’s a look at three of the key players, all with operating systems that are bubbling up on actual, real hardware...