And today’s shout comes from Oracle with “Don’t count out java in the mobile space“. Oracle cries out to justify the existence of JavaME. This is more or less a comment on the above article.
It’s been puzzling to see how much of a #fail JavaME has been (more or less form day one of release) when you see how good other java rooted platforms like Android and RIM is doing now. What happened to the innovation? It was released, and then silence… The micro edition couldn’t have had it easy or had much support from either Sun or Oracle when you see how they’ve been sidestepped by everyone and everything.
In yesterday’s IDG News Service article, that originally comes from InfoWorld Developer_World, Oracle again promises to re-vitalize the platform and announce that “Java may be seem like it is off the radar screen these days when it comes to smartphones and tablets, with platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android clearly dominating the headlines. But don’t count Java out on newfangled small form-factor devices” With that they confirm their “commitment” to the developers of the 3 billion mobile devices capable of running javaME, and the new devices using it that are shipped at a “tremendous rate”, omitting that the growth rate of the same tremendous rate is on a fast decline due to the fact that the concept of “feature phones” where JavaME is common is disappearing, and being replaced by cheap smarphones running (mostly) Android.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on JavaME or the devices capable of running it, but i would guess that the primary device running JavaME is an SymbianOS device. The biggest market for Symbian is Asia and looking at the market share based on numbers from StatCounter (http://gs.statcounter.com) Symbian has dropped from 67.5% to 56.4% operating system market share the last twelve months. Adding to that, Nokia is switching from Symbian to Windows Mobile for their future devices, what is the future outcome for JavaME “powered” devices? Short term; a few devices. Long term; even fewer devices.
If you as an experiment extend the graph from StatCounter and assume the same growth rate for Android and loss in market share rate for Symbian from the last twelve months, Android will have replaced Symbian as the leading Mobile OS brand by September/November 2011.
No, I am not all against JavaME or Java. Just saying that Sun and Oracle has let it slide way to long to be able to drive developer interest and investment in it’s mobile platform. It would be as successful as if Microsoft were trying to reintroduce .NET Compact Framework as the mobile platform with the release of Windows Embedded (CE) 7.
Inside the space of industrial mobility, with POS systems, and rugged mobile devices there probably will exist a lot of SymbianOS driven devices where JavaME will have a long and good life, but it’s no reason to shout “hey, look at us, we’re (still) in the mobile ecosystem….”
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Oracle – In cyberspace everyone can hear you scream
Commentary | March 18, 2011 by Alexander Viken
And today’s shout comes from Oracle with “Don’t count out java in the mobile space“. Oracle cries out to justify the existence of JavaME. This is more or less a comment on the above article.
In yesterday’s IDG News Service article, that originally comes from InfoWorld Developer_World, Oracle again promises to re-vitalize the platform and announce that “Java may be seem like it is off the radar screen these days when it comes to smartphones and tablets, with platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android clearly dominating the headlines. But don’t count Java out on newfangled small form-factor devices” With that they confirm their “commitment” to the developers of the 3 billion mobile devices capable of running javaME, and the new devices using it that are shipped at a “tremendous rate”, omitting that the growth rate of the same tremendous rate is on a fast decline due to the fact that the concept of “feature phones” where JavaME is common is disappearing, and being replaced by cheap smarphones running (mostly) Android.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on JavaME or the devices capable of running it, but i would guess that the primary device running JavaME is an SymbianOS device. The biggest market for Symbian is Asia and looking at the market share based on numbers from StatCounter (http://gs.statcounter.com) Symbian has dropped from 67.5% to 56.4% operating system market share the last twelve months. Adding to that, Nokia is switching from Symbian to Windows Mobile for their future devices, what is the future outcome for JavaME “powered” devices? Short term; a few devices. Long term; even fewer devices.
If you as an experiment extend the graph from StatCounter and assume the same growth rate for Android and loss in market share rate for Symbian from the last twelve months, Android will have replaced Symbian as the leading Mobile OS brand by September/November 2011.
No, I am not all against JavaME or Java. Just saying that Sun and Oracle has let it slide way to long to be able to drive developer interest and investment in it’s mobile platform. It would be as successful as if Microsoft were trying to reintroduce .NET Compact Framework as the mobile platform with the release of Windows Embedded (CE) 7.
Inside the space of industrial mobility, with POS systems, and rugged mobile devices there probably will exist a lot of SymbianOS driven devices where JavaME will have a long and good life, but it’s no reason to shout “hey, look at us, we’re (still) in the mobile ecosystem….”
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Tags: android, Development, JavaME, Link:Mobility, Oracle, Sun, Symbian