From EETimes: A recently announced operating system in China could have disruptive influences felt worldwide. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai-based Liantong Network Communications Technology, the China Operating System (COS) is designed for use in smartphones, tablets, TV set top boxes, and personal computers.
Rumors abound about which OEMs and carriers will support COS, and several analysts have cited Huawei, HTC, Mediatek, Lenovo, and ZTE as prime movers. Robert Bismuth, a Seattle-based independent consultant and former MIPS executive, said approximately 30 companies were enthusiastic during a spring 2013 meeting to discuss the COS architecture.
"Mobile carriers have no choice but to respond favorably; the Chinese government carries a lot of weight inside of China," Bismuth said. "The government is counting on creating a national identity with these devices, as they have with the space program. There's no real reason for a Chinese national person to not use these."
No mobile carrier or OEM has officially declared interest in COS -- though The New York Times quoted Liantong Network Communications' Chen Feili as saying four smartphone models already use COS -- and Bismuth said operators will have no choice but to support COS.
"It's difficult to determine who the other initial adopters might be, but I would venture to say it is likely the larger Chinese smartphone vendors that can afford to support this in one of thier product lines until they determine if it is worth the investment," Tirias Research principal analyst Jim McGregor wrote in an email exchange.
Huawei, MediaTek, and others did not return calls for comment. Officials from ARM said "it's too soon for us to offer comment at this point," while Imagination officials had no comment but said the company is "certainly interested in watching developments in China where we have a large number of customers." HTC issued a statement that it "remains focused on working with its current OS partners and we do not comment on speculation regarding other OS."
"The speculation about HTC comes from leaked reports about a Butterfly platform, and the fact that the COS user interface looks very similar to that of HTC," McGregor wrote. "However, no OEM has publicly proclaimed support for COS yet, and I would not expect it until they are ready to release a product with it."
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