Samsung may discontinue Bada platform by mid-2013

Samsung, in the last couple of years has been prolific with their smartphones and their run to being the world’s highest smartphone manufacturer started with the launch of the Galaxy S. At the time of its announcement, Samsung had also launched a smartphone running on their Bada OS. The first handset running on this platform was the Samsung Wave. However, unlike the success of its Android counterpart, the Wave range of handsets did not do as well as expected and in the process, there were lower sales that were generated. According to a report by Eldar Murtazin of Mobile-Review, the author estimates that Samsung will discontinue this operating system by mid-2013.

To be discontinued

As per the report, the author states that one should not wait for any high-profile announcements regarding smartphones that would run on the Bada OS, as there would be none. He goes on to state, “Such statements will never be simply due to the nature of the company and that it, unlike Nokia, does not seek to destroy their sales. Gradually the number of Bada phones in the market, will begin to decline and next year they will disappear, and new models will not be issued. Support for developers already included in the budgets of 2012, will be carried out until the last moment, as well as support for the products themselves. But to say that the cardinal will jump in that direction, it is impossible. In bada in 2012 there is no priority within the company.”

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In a related report by Unwired View, commenting on the thoughts felt by Murtazin, the author states, “The success of the first Galaxy S, even bigger Galaxy S2 and the lackluster performance of the Wave phones, sealed the fate of Bada already in 2011. Samsung was always very good at throwing things at the wall, seeing what sticks and running away with it. And doing it in very pragmatic way. If the sales/traction isn’t there – the stuff gets left behind. The things that do work get all the resources, attention and investment. Frankly – I am surprised that Samsung’s Bada experiment lasted this long. But it was a good learning exercise – with experience gained now becoming part of Android’s TouchWiz and other Samsung smartphone efforts.”

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