Why can't Europe create a mobile operating system that can compete with Android and iOS?

Author | Translated by Callum Booth Meniscus

Responsible Editor | Wang Ziyu 

Listing | CSDN（ID：CSDNnews）

Is it possible that Europe will once again have the dominant smartphone?

The answer is simple, impossible, unless some kind of miracle occurs.

There are many reasons behind this, but the core point is that since most of the world's mobile manufacturing facilities are in Asia, it is almost impossible for European companies to make good enough phones at a low enough price.

So, can Europe launch its own mobile operating system?

Why does Europe need its own mobile operating system?

Europe has its own operating system and can take back some control from the US Silicon Valley giants iOS and Android. In addition, no factories or raw materials are required to build an operating system, as software development can be outsourced to the African continent.

In addition, Europe has been at the forefront of digital privacy regulation, and we have measures like GDPR as well as strict data scraping laws to strengthen citizens' rights against data-hungry US tech giants.

Mobile operating systems in Europe not only ensure the highest level of privacy for users, but also extend the control elements of the technology ecosystem. The latter point is especially important because Apple and Google not only control the apps on their platforms, but also exploit huge revenues from publishers. The power and income involved is staggering, and if you think about it another way, all of this is available to the EU.

But...... Is it possible for Europe to build its own mobile operating system?

To find out, I contacted several experts. One of them is Jan Stryjak, associate director of Counterpoint Research. He has 13 years of experience in the telecommunications, media and technology industries and currently leads the analyst firm's research in Europe.

The first thing he told me was that new mobile operating systems (or any other mobile operating system) in Europe had no place in the market, saying, "Two mobile operating systems are enough". He was referring to iOS and Android. Previously, there have been attempts to develop Windows into the third largest mobile operating system, but all have failed. Windows Mobile and Symbian have had their time to shine, but iOS and Android have forced both to out.

Stryjak and I discussed the possibility of another OS joining to compete with Apple and Google's mobile operating systems, saying, "It just doesn't work." I pressed further about the possibilities, arguing that the only potential is "a niche tech crowd that really cares about privacy."

The third option

I spoke with Wayne Huang, Fairphone's vice president of product operations, about privacy. The company makes equipment that is designed to be sustainable and protect the environment, with the goal of making repairable equipment that puts control back in the hands of consumers.

One of Fairphone's core customer segments is precisely the privacy-conscious tech niche. When I asked him how to implement this solution on their devices, Huang told me about Fairphone's partnership with the /e/ Foundation, specifically its Linux-based /e/OS mobile operating system.

Users of Fairphone can install privacy-focused /e/OS, an open-source operating system that does not track user data. Nevertheless, Android apps can also be used on the platform, and /e/OS warns you about these apps' built-in trackers.

Huang told me that I'm not sure how many people are using /e/OS on Fairphone devices. However, I found an approximate number from the creator of the system, Gaël Duval. He claims that as of 2021, a total of 25,000~35,000 users are using the /e/OS mobile operating system.

However, there are more than 1 billion iOS users worldwide, and that doesn't include Apple's other operating systems.

Therefore, we believe that mobile operating systems built with privacy in mind have a ceiling that is difficult to break through. At the moment, this is just a niche option for niche devices. While this operating system will continue to evolve and attract a large number of users, it is unlikely to challenge the dominance of Android and iOS.

Instead, Stryjak believes that the new operating system on mobile devices is somewhat similar to Linux on desktops: while it can attract a loyal fan base, it can't go mainstream.

The story has developed here, and it is not over. We intend to conduct a thought experiment and come to the logical conclusion to really figure out what would happen if Europe developed its own mobile operating system.

Let's say Europe develops its own mobile operating system

Suppose several EU member states ignore the outcome of the above discussion. They believe that experts have been misled and that there is still room for a third mainstream mobile operating system in the market, and they are the chosen ones to build it. So, what will be the result?

One thing is certain: the process of developing this mobile operating system will definitely not be smooth sailing.

Huang said: "I've spoken a lot on the phone with the EU commissioner... They proposed a Linux system and asked if it was possible to build such an operating system. In fact, the difficulty is that everyone works together to achieve this goal. ”

Let's not forget that the European Union is made up of 27 countries, each with a different culture and development plan. Getting some countries skeptical of government and censorship to adopt Europe's own operating system will be a difficult task.

Yes, one could argue that this would help boost the EU's focus on digital privacy and hold tech giants accountable, but this is not possible if the EU does not work in that direction.

Let's assume that the EU somehow got everyone to endorse the European mobile operating system is a brilliant idea. The topic has even surpassed the Russia-Ukraine war, sustainability, gas prices and inflation as a top priority for the European Parliament. And then what?

Technical challenges faced

Stryjak says the first big challenge for mobile operating systems in Europe will be how to isolate the continent from the rest of the world.

"The world is getting bigger, but people are getting closer to each other," he said. You need to build interoperability with other markets in Europe. In other words, the software needs to work in tandem with other software or it will collapse.

Even if you create a European mobile operating system, it will take a lot of effort to make it work with existing applications and features around the world.

Let's try to think about it: Would you switch to a phone without WeChat? Or no mobile payment or TikTok? It takes a lot of time for these companies to port their software, and that's because these companies are the most well-resourced organizations in the world.

Imagine how long it would take a small business to port all the applications it might need for day-to-day work or life. The effort required for this undertaking is immeasurable.

Stryjak says how many iterations do you need to go through to achieve the same features as Samsung and Apple? Users simply don't want to wait that long, they want to be ready for immediate use.

Political issues cannot be ignored

Our thought experiment continued, assuming that we actually developed the European mobile operating system through some magical force and overcoming obstacles, and that engineers and programmers worked tirelessly to make the software and hardware work perfectly with this new system. What's next?

Stryjak asked me, "If there is a specific operating system in Europe, can it run in other countries?" "The point of this system is to enforce GDPR and digital privacy, so can this system also work in places where regulations are less stringent?

The answer is most likely no.

Even if the EU were able to get its member states to agree to create a mobile operating system, it could end up not being supported, and users would experience obstacles that would eventually be banned by countries around the world.

In other words, these efforts are in vain.

summary

Back to the core question of this article: does Europe need its own mobile operating system? The answer is no.

The EU has been one of the biggest drivers of digital privacy, and although it can further promote digital privacy if it can control its own operating system, in fact these efforts in the EU have had a huge impact on technical privacy. As long as you have a large user base, you can continue to have some kind of impact on Silicon Valley.

In the world of dreams, the European mobile operating system can be improved in many ways, but in reality? Pointless.