We have roughly three types of phones available in the world, first, the basic phones which allow for calls and messaging like Nokia 1100 or Nokia 3315, second we have feature phones which used java based small applications and lastly we have smartphones using android. But this scenario is about to be changed with the introduction of Kai OS, its an operating system for feature phones. There is a large section of society which can't afford smartphones since all the people who could afford smartphones are already having one that's why the smartphone industry is getting stagnant.
So, what is Kai OS?
KaiOS is a mobile operating system, specially designed for feature phones. It’s built on top of Boot to Gecko, a community-driven successor to Firefox OS. It’s a web-based platform, that's why its power requirements are very less, it needs a meager 256MB of memory for its operation. KaiOS promises to bring modern apps such as WhatsApp to people who had never owned a smartphone. Thus, its interface is designed for the so-called dumbphones with physical keys and non-touch screens. To ensure data-oriented companies are able to gain from this, KaiOS does offer all the connectivity options including 4G/LTE, NFC for payments, Dual-SIM compatibility, and Wi-Fi. KaiOS-powered feature phones are priced aggressively too since manufacturers don’t need to worry about high-end specifications. Its biggest success, Reliance’s JioPhone, sells in India for about $20. But, you may be thinking that it'll be time taking to press all the buttons to write a query using just numeric type keypad, here comes the google assistant to ease this task.
What makes Kai OS different?
The thing which makes kai OS so powerful is that it runs a web version of an app, so all the processing happens on the cloud and companies servers making it a very light OS. In addition, Kai OS has an open environment making it easier for developers to build new apps for feature phones. As of now, Kai OS offers apps Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google maps, WhatsApp, etc with thousands of apps along the way.
So, can this thing become the next big OS?
The answer is maybe but probably every single smartphone OS by its very definition is going to be compared to Android and iOS, these two are so far ahead that it's almost impossible for a third party to come in and compete, but kai OS isn't pitching itself as a smartphone operating system even though they have got potential to steal market share from Android as there will be some people who'll be choosing between the two because Kai OS is hitting a price point that Android couldn't possibly get. So, it doesn't actually need to be as good as Android because they've created this entirely new category of semi smartphones at the price of a dumb phone and there's very little competition. Kai Os started in 2017 and now it is on over a hundred million phones if you think about that figure for a second in terms of percentage growth this is far beyond what Android is and ever was. The second thing in favor of Kai OS is that updates are coming in fast and these updates are quite dramatic which changes more than just adjusting how icons look or introducing a dark theme. kai OS is not just another piece of software, it is a potential lifestyle accelerator especially in developing countries this thing would be giving people access to a completely new way of living and that brings me on to the sustainability of kai OS, the biggest hurdle in this is that the current quantity of apps is pretty slim but because they have that user base, so, the incentive for developers to come on board and make more stuff is already pretty strong and that's all cemented by a fairly intuitive Chi ad system that can monetize their apps for them. Kai OS has a really strong short term appeal because when incomes become substantial enough, people would rather have the full smartphone experience with something like Android as opposed to the cutback version here. So, the only way I see Kai OS surviving long term is by slowly branching out to more premium devices and by starting to offer more and more of a comparable experience to Android and iOS. The last thing to bear in mind about this is that using one of these phones actually has some significant advantages over using smartphones, phones using this are lighter, smaller and can last just as long if not longer than a phone like a galaxy s10. Another situation where even someone who already owns an Android might prefer to take a Kai OS phone to a music festival or to a holiday, it's low cost means you're not too worried about losing it and the fact that it's powerful enough to stay fully connected whilst not being so powerful and so capable that it's distracting might actually strike the perfect balance for some people. kai OS could also potentially find a market as the secondary phone for someone who already owns a proper smartphone. Let's see how Kai OS will evolve in the future.
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