Samsung may be becoming too powerful for its own good. The #1 smartphone manufacturer holds over half the smartphone marketshare in the world, giving it the ability to call its shots. What could be the next big move? Rumors suggest Samsung may be looking into locking it’s third-party accessory support.
The rumor is that Samsung plans to plant chips in their accessories, which would allow the phone to recognize whether it is approved or not by Samsung. Only Samsung would be able to dictate if that charger, battery pack, battery or cover can be used with Samsung phones. Meaning only Samsung’s accessories and Samsung-approved third-party accessories will be available to Samsung customers.
The Good
This sounds like a disaster, but let’s look at what could be a good consequence to such decision. Ideally, your accessories and phone will work better. Ever heard of those scary battery explosions? They usually happen because of faulty and/or cheap third-party accessories. Not to mention, a lot of chargers can be slow, affecting the user experience.
This would ensure that your pockets have less explosions and Samsung’s pockets have more cash.
The Bad
Of course, we would say the bad definitely outweighs the good here. Because accessories would need to be approved, they would probably also raise in price. There is also the loss of convenience that comes with the standardization of ports and accessories. You wouldn’t be able to ask a buddy for his charger while staying over at his house, unless the have Samsung charger.
Do you think this will happen?
In a way, such a move would feel like Samsung is tabbing the Android ecosystem in the back. It would be similar to Apple and its proprietary accessories. That locked ecosystem we hate could become a huge part of Android.
I know I would not be down for this and I am more than ready to put my money where my mouth is. We are also sure many of our readers would be infuriated to see Samsung do something like this. Honestly, I doubt they will, but you never know. Would you be ok with Samsung (or any manufacturer, for that matter) do something like this?
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