Last night Samsung's focus was on its latest flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S 4, as the company ran through the specs and features of its new device on a stage in New York City. However, Android wasn't the only mobile operating system that was discussed by Samsung executives last night, as both Windows Phone and Tizen also came up during various interviews later in the evening.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, newly-appointed co-CEO of Samsung Electronics J.K. Shin revealed that his company's Windows-based phones and tablets aren't doing particularly well. When asked about Samsung's partnership with Microsoft and how it relates to Nokia's work with the Redmond firm, Shin responded by simply saying that both smartphones and tablets powered by Windows "aren't selling very well" and that the market prefers Android. The exec went on to add that Samsung is also seeing "lackluster demand" for Windows-powered hardware in Europe.
Samsung has released its fair share of Windows devices to date, including several Windows Phone products like the Focus, Focus S and ATIV S. We haven't really seen Samsung heavily pushing its newest Windows products, though, with the company opting not to sell the ATIV Tab in the U.S. and remaining silent on any U.S. debut for the ATIV S as well. Samsung did recently launch the ATIV Odyssey Windows Phone 8 device on Verizon, but there doesn't seem to be much marketing for that product happening. Now it seems we know why Samsung appears to have a lack of enthusiasm about its Windows hardware lately, as it feels that those products aren't doing well with customers, so it would rather focus is efforts of other mobile OSes.
Speaking of other OSes, Android also came up briefly during Shin's interview with the WSJ. Shin was asked if Samsung's relationship with Google has changed as his company's success with Android has grown, a question related to the recent rumors that Google is concerned with Samsung's dominance of its mobile platform. Shin denied any friction with Google, saying that Samsung still likes Android and that it intends to keep up its "good relations" with the company. Shin also revealed that Samsung has now sold 50 million Galaxy S III units since the phone's launch in 2012. That figure is a jump from the 30 million sales stat that Samsung shared back in November 2012.
Finally, we've got Tizen. Samsung has been a big backer of Tizen, and the company has previously promised to bring Tizen-powered smartphones to market in 2013. Now we've got a bit more information on one device thanks to Shin and another Samsung exec. In his interview with the WSJ, Shin said that Samsung plans to launch its first Tizen smartphone in the third quarter of 2013. Lee Young Hee, EVP of Samsung's mobile division, offered a bit more detail on the device in an interview with Bloomberg, saying that Samsung is planning to introduce a high-end Tizen smartphone in August or September of this year. Lee went on to promise that the phone "will be the best product equipped with the best specifications."
