If Apple is able to equip their products with their own OS (which is iOS), most other phones come with Android OS. It is pretty hard to find some OSes like Ubuntu, Firefox OS or Sailfish on the “smartphone map” of the world.

According to IDC statistics, iOS and Android devices are accounting for 96.3% in worldwide smartphone market. iOS gets 14.8% and the left part is for Android (81.5%). Of course there are also other OSes appearing recently like Ubuntu, Jolla Sailfish, Firefox, etc. with a desire to compete with iOS and Android. However, it seems like they cannot do it now and even pretty hard to do so in the future. Anyway, in today post, we would like to introduce briefly about them and perhaps you may find some of them more interesting than iOS and Android.

1. Ubuntu

“Ubuntu is an open source software platform that runs everywhere from the smartphone, the tablet and the PC to the server and the cloud.” Moreover, it has been considered as a good option to replace Windows or Mac OS on PC and laptop. In the recent years, Canonical (company that produces Ubuntu) has been developing it strongly. As a result, it is able to be seen more on tablets and smartphones now.

Ubuntu is known for providing users with “scopes” (aka home screens) containing data on the phone and online data. However, some disadvantages such as limited app source have made Ubunutu not very popular in the mobile industry.

2. Jolla Sailfish

After being sold to Microsoft, Nokia has stopped developing Meego – an OS based on Linux for smartphones. Some staff of Nokia decided to leave and founded a new firm called Jolla, continuing their unfinished job. Therefore, Sailfish was born.

Sailfish 2.0 OS was introduce last July and it is said to be compatible with both smartphones and tablets. The company also claims that Sailfish 2.0 OS will bring great experience since they can use as well as control many apps at the same time by small multitasking screens.

Nonetheless, one thing making Sailfish still quiet is that it does not support Google Play and the users have to install it directly through APK, which is more complicated and time-consuming.

3. Firefox

Firefox is an OS also based on Linux, applying to smartphones, tablets and smartTVs. Being developed by Mozilla – a company famous for Mozilla Firefox browser, it should have become more popular, but the fact is different. Though this OS can be run on any basis and updated right on the machine.

According to many news sources, Mozilla is having a plan of providing Firefox smartphones with affordable prices (under $25) in Asisa and Africa. Hopefully they can achieve the goal.

https://youtu.be/DjjkAYI5kNM

Well, do you think that they have any chance to replace iOS and Android?