Samsung Play For Windows Phone? Solution Providers Call It A Good Move

As rumors swirl that Samsung is testing the Windows Phone operating system's compatibility with its hardware, solution providers say such a move could give Samsung partners more flexibility when presenting options to their customers.

According to sources in a recent The Korea Times article, Samsung may be considering different software avenues, such as Windows 8.1, to offer in addition to its primary platform, Google's Android.

[Related: Samsung Mulls Major Changes After Year Of Down Smartphone Sales]

Douglas Grosfield, CEO of Cambridge, Ontario-based solution provider Xylotek Solutions, which partners primarily with BlackBerry and Lenovo, said "it's a good sign" for Samsung partners to have multiple software offerings for clients.

"It gives us a lot of reasons to have discussions with customers that truly fit into the heterogeneous environment without having to pigeonhole them into one technology," he explained. "The only potential drawback is the concept of interchangeability. If consumers aren't sure which is the best product, this move could give them too many choices and muddy the waters a little bit."

From a solution provider's perspective, Grosfield said Samsung seems to be "covering all the bases."

"Samsung is trying a lot of different things right now. … It put a lot of time and money into its own operating system [Tizen] and it still has a long-term, strong relationship with the Android platform," he said.

Sales of Samsung's feature phone and smartphone declined in the third quarter of 2014. According to research firm IDC, Samsung's worldwide market share fell to 23.7 percent in 2014 vs. 32.2 percent in 2013.

Despite declining market share, Samsung still holds the top spot among competitors Apple, Xiaomi, Lenovo and LG but may be looking for other outlets to turn around its weakening sales, said Jack Narcotta, devices analyst at market research firm Technology Business Research.

"From an overall perspective, Samsung is in some ways reacting to a slowdown in its smartphone market and exploring new avenues," said Narcotta. "My gut instinct is that it's trying [Windows Phone] out and re-evaluating where it stands in the mobile systems market. Samsung is in a good enough position where if the tests with Microsoft don't pan out it wouldn't be a catastrophic loss."

NEXT: Solution Providers: Multiple Software Systems Is Emerging Trend

Stephen Monteros, vice president of business development and strategic initiatives at Ontario-based Sigmanet, echoed the benefits that solution providers could reap from a potential Samsung partnership with Microsoft.

Sigmanet, a solution provider specializing in the education market, partners with Apple, Dell and Microsoft, among other vendors.

"We're looking at this as Samsung trying to establish operability across multiple platforms and put chips on all different squares," Monteros said. "I see it as a good thing."

Looking forward, Xylotek's Grosfield noted an emerging trend of vendors looking at multiple software platforms in their mobile markets, a movement he said was spearheaded in part by Lenovo's partnership last year with Microsoft in addition to Android.

"I find it interesting that in such a hyper-competitive space as the mobile world, there has been this much interbreeding this year," he said. "Lenovo set a great example and I think Samsung is recognizing this. Kudos to Lenovo for breaking ground in this area."

PUBLISHED JAN. 12, 2015