Cyanogen inked an exclusive deal with Micromax and entered India with YU Yureka (and OnePlus One), about an year ago. Market has been rife with rumors of split between Micromax and YU, but Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster’s presence at YuTopia launch affirmed Cordial relationship between the two Tech companies.
Cyanogen OS is no longer exclusive to Micromax
Come 2016 and Cyanogen will no longer be exclusive to Micromax or YU in India. Speaking to Ecomonic Times, McMaster revealed that Cyanogen will be expanding rather aggressively in India. He further divulged that CyanogenOS will be running on at least 6 new smartphones (including both domestic and foreign brands) in Indian market.
“We are going to expand in India aggressively, and you can expect to see a lot more of us next year. Our Bengaluru team has 11 people, which will grow up to 60 people by the end of 2016,”
“One of the reasons we partnered with Micromax because they understand the market and consumers in India… It’s really important for Cyanogen to go beyond the enthusiasts’ community. We want to take the value of this community to mass market,” co-founder and Chief Executive Kirt McMaster said.
Custom software on domestic branded devices is pure Crap
In a market saturated with towering spec-sheets, software is what we expect to be the new focus in 2016. Almost all customized Android ROMs from domestic manufacturers are purely crap. In the name of customized Android experience, numerous handsets barely include a new launcher with ugly iconography, a hideous wallpaper and extensive set of preloaded apps. For far too long, software has been a loose end which no one has endeavored to tie (Except Xolo, Hive UI).
All for a reason
Reason being, developing a custom software and nurturing it is indeed an uphill task. Android hardware system isn’t standardized and same update code can and often does break things even when rolled out for a specific phone. Even Google or iOS can’t get it right the first time. Follow up updates are often required and continuously so. With extremely short launch cycles and razor slim margins, Manufacturer’s don’t have enough motivation to go through all those hassles. That is precisely where Cyanogen comes in. India is a fertile ground and Cyanogen has enormous ground to cover.
If you have been remotely interested in Android, Cyanogen must be a familiar term. CyanogenMod is community nurtured software which is simple and efficient and immensely popular among advanced users who frequently mod their devices. Cyanogen OS on the other hand is a more official and stable version in compliance with Google’s guidelines which Cyanogen releases in partnership with OEMs, simultaneously catering to their individual needs.
