Today, at Samsung’s MWC Developer Day, the company introduced several software development kits with the hope of luring developers to its platforms. Among the kits were several aimed at the company’s just-announced wearables including the Gear 2 and Gear Fit. Samsung needs 3rd party developers to make these products successful.
Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, president and head of the Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics, said in a released statement “Samsung will continue to provide more comprehensive SDKs for our mobile devices and maintain collaborative relationships with development partners to present unique and unprecedented content and services to our customers.”
A Tizen-based SDK for the Gear was released for the first time. The previous model, called the Galaxy Gear, was powered by Android, but this time around Samsung opted for the alternative operating system of Tizen.
Samsung also released an SDK for its hot Gear Fit device — a wearable many are declaring could be the first true smartwatch. Since the Fit is focused on fitness, this SDK is especially important. Samsung clearly hopes 3rd party developers will be able to churn out applications and uses for a mainstream audience. Another SDK was released focused on the S Heath functions found in many of the company’s devices.
To become successful consumer electronic devices are increasingly reliant on a successful ecosystem. Consumers are not buying a device these days. They’re buying into a world centered around a device. This is most evident by with GoPro and its thousands of 3rd party accessories or an Android/iOS device backed by their robust respective app library. Even the Pebble smartwatch has a deep development pool, which is one of the reasons for its success. Samsung needs the same for the Gear. Make the devs happy and the sales will come.