Everyone who uses technology regularly knows how convenient — and at times frustrating — a tightly integrated ecosystem can be. Apple’s iPhone and Mac lineup is a familiar example: devices work together seamlessly, but integrating products from other manufacturers can be difficult.
That tight integration brings two clear advantages for a company. First, it lets the maker control the experience and optimize features across devices. Second, it raises the barrier for customers to switch to a different platform.
Samsung is trying to reproduce that kind of cohesive experience around its Galaxy devices. To do so, the company has launched a global developer tour aimed at encouraging programmers to build apps that take full advantage of the wide range of hardware Samsung sells every day.
Samsung’s market reach is significant: according to Gartner, it sold more than 80 million smartphones to end users in the third quarter, while also moving millions of TVs worldwide. These sales scale gives Samsung leverage when pitching developers: apps built for Samsung’s ecosystem can reach a large, global audience.
“While this may be a European developer day, by partnering with us your product or service can take advantage of our global reach,” said Lee Epting, vice president of Samsung’s Media Solutions Center Europe.
Most of Samsung’s mobile products run Android, and some analysts have described Samsung as the company that most strongly influences the direction of Google’s open-source platform. By layering its own features and software on top of Android, Samsung differentiates its devices from competitors.
Part of that differentiation comes from proprietary features such as the S-Pen and device-specific interfaces. Promoting those capabilities helps Samsung sustain growth and build customer loyalty.
A central aim of the developer tour is to show how Samsung can become a living-room hub through device convergence. One tool designed to enable that vision is the Multiscreen SDK, currently in beta. The SDK is intended to simplify building apps that connect mobile devices with Samsung smart TVs, making it easier for developers to create cohesive cross-device experiences.
As more people use smartphones and tablets while watching television, and as everyday devices become increasingly interconnected, manufacturers have a clear incentive to demonstrate advantages in the connected-home space. Samsung’s push seeks to make its platform attractive for developers who want to build experiences that span phones, tablets, and TVs.
By courting developers with tools, APIs, and a promise of broad distribution, Samsung hopes to strengthen its ecosystem the same way other platform leaders have: by encouraging a rich app environment that keeps users engaged and makes switching away less appealing.
What do you think of Samsung’s tour and its efforts to draw developers into its ecosystem?