Samsung hopes to woo developers away from Apple right in its backyard.
The first-ever Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) will take place October 27 – 29 in San Francisco, and the company has posted a teaser website to spread the word. Although more details are forthcoming, the conference won’t be exclusively focused on mobile. The company says SDC will be a “major, Samsung-wide, cross-product (multi-screen) developer event.”
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) has been hugely successful, with the last event selling out in two minutes. Given that Samsung is the leader in Android phone and tablet sales, it makes sense that Samsung would host it own developer event. Between gesture controls in the Galaxy S4 and pen input in the Galaxy Note series, Samsung wants to provide more hooks into what makes its devices unique.
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Samsung has also announced that it will be making a smart watch, so SDC could be an opportunity for developers to learn how to create apps for its iWatch competitor. And as Tim Cook preps an Apple TV successor that will reportedly let users skip ads, smart TVs are bound to be another area of focus at the conference.
SDC will likely see a lot more activity around Tizen as well, Samsung’s homegrown operating system. Although the company has enjoyed a lot of success with Android, some see Tizen as a safety net should Google and Motorola get cozier with their relationship. Tizen could also help Samsung push further into emerging markets like China, where it competes with formidable foes like Huawei and ZTE.
Whether it’s smartphones, tablets, watches, TVs or refrigerators, it’s clear that Samsung wants to rely less on the Google Play store and foster its own ecosystem. SDC will be the biggest step yet in that direction.
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