Samsung is postponing the launch of its homegrown Tizen operating system as it looks to generate more support from developers.
The company, which was set to release the Samsung Z during the third quarter of this year, has indefinitely shelved it plans to compete against Android. The device was expected to be revealed at a Moscow developer's conference, but it's future is now in doubt.
"To further enhance Tizen ecosystem, Samsung plans to postpone the launch of Samsung Z in Russia. Samsung will continue to actively work with Tizen Association members pursuing to further develop both Tizen OS and the Tizen ecosystem," the company said in a statement.
This means that there are not enough apps and services for the new OS. To improve the OS' app portfolio, the company will continue working with members of the Tizen Association such as Vodafone, Panasonic and Fujitsu. However, some early backers have already withdrawn support for the operating system. Mobile service provider DoCoMo announced earlier this year that it will not sell Samsung smartphones that run on the Tizen OS.
Samsung gave indications that it was having trouble generating support from developers as early as a few weeks ago. In an earlier statement, the company said that the smartphone will be launched in the Russian market at a later date when it contains a full set of applications.
This is not the first time that the launch for a Tizen smartphone has been pushed back. The device was first set to be launched in Japan. That was canceled when carriers withdrew support. Samsung, in spite of struggling to attract developers to Tizen phones, still has some reason to be optimistic about the operating system. Its Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches run on Tizen. The company has also revealed prototype televisions that are based on the OS.
The Samsung Z was first revealed during the Tizen Developer Conference last June. The smartphone has a 4.8-inch 720p HD display, a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, 16 GB of storage, an 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 2.1 megapixel front camera and a 2,600 mAh battery. Similar to the Galaxy S5, it has features such as a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint sensor.
