Following in the wake of Samsung, Xiaomi and similar companies that vend smartphones, Micromax has decided to develop its own OS across platforms. Apart from handsets, Micromax also sells wearable gadgets, TVs and tablets. It intends to build a software system which will work on all these devices. Such a custom ROM would also be able to bring the brand revenues from apps, the way Google gets a cut from applications sold in Play Store.
Micromax co-founder Vikas Jain, has told Economic Times that the cross platform OS will make its debut on the company’s phones before April 2016. In keeping with the brand’s reputation of offering budget-friendly handsets, the devices running the unnamed software will be affordable too. Jain made it a point to insist it’s not parting ways with Android. In fact, Micromax’s OS will be a forked version of the Google mobile OS.
Ashish Agrawal who worked with Amazon previously, joined Micromax as its Chief Technology Officer early this year. He will be overseeing the entire development process. The company’s software team based in Bengaluru will be creating the OS. Roughly 75 employees from Nokia R&D in Beijing and a few more from Shenzen will support the initiative. Until its OS gains a wide enough audience, Micromax will need to have apps ready for customers.
Android’s dominance in the smartphone market is attractive to developers, which is why Google Play Store is populated with so many applications, games, productivity tools and other content. We suppose Micromax could tie up with entertainment houses on these shores to deliver music, movies and TV programs to users on demand. With regards to apps, it may be able to understand the requirements of the Indian consumer better than international companies.
Micromax Informatics has its headquarters in Gurgaon in Haryana. It was originally meant to be an IT software company until it started selling mobile phones in 2008. It is now the second largest smartphone brand in India, and the tenth biggest in the world.