Unicom Takes on Apple, Google, Microsoft … I Don’t Think So 联通想挑战苹果、谷歌、微软……？我不看好

Watch out, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT): you’ll soon be facing a major new rival in the mobile operating system space in the form of China Unicom (NYSE: CHU; HKEx: 762). The above may sound absolutely ridiculous, but the only thing more ridiculous is that it’s true. After announcing the roll-out of its Wo cellphone operating system earlier this year (previous post), Unicom is now going out and trying to set up an alliance of telcos, cellphone makers and anyone else who will listen to try to promote this system. (Chinese article) Why Unicom thinks it needs to take such initiative when there are already lots of superior products in the market, including Apple’s iPhone which Unicom is now selling, is a question that leaves me scratching my head. My only guess is that someone at Unicom is doing this to try to curry favor from Beijing, which is forever encouraging its companies to develop and promote proprietary technologies, even though such initiatives nearly always end up as very expensive failures. Perhaps Unicom feels it “owes” Beijing a debt for giving it the best technology when it awarded 3G licenses 2 years ago, while giving the worst technology to archcrival China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; HKEx: 941). Whatever the case, this Wo initiative should be renamed “woe”, as it’s bound to bring plenty of woes to China Unicom if it really tries to seriously develop and market this system.

Bottom line: Unicom’s determination to move forward with its self-developed Wo mobile operating system is bound to be a costly failure.

小心了，谷歌<GOOG.O>、苹果< AAPL.O>、微软<MSFT.O>，你们在移动操作系统领域很快将面临一个新的竞争对手，中国联通<0762.HK><CHU.N>。这听起来好像很荒谬，但更荒谬的是，事实就是如此。今年早些时候推出“沃”手机操作系统後，联通又打算与电信运营商、手机生产商等合作，推广该操作系统。市场上已经有这麽多好产品啦，包括联通在销售的iPhone，联通为什麽还要这麽做呢？我百思不得其解。我唯一能想到的是，联通内部有人想通过这种方式取悦中国政府，中国政府总是鼓励中国企业发展、推广专利技术，虽然这种努力往往以失败且付出昂贵的代价而告终。也许联通觉得，两年前获得3G牌照後，政府把最好的技术给了自己，而把最差的技术给了对手中国移动<CHL.N><0941.HK>，因此自己“欠”政府的。无论是哪种情况，“沃”都应该改称为“祸”，因为如果中国联通真的开发并推广该系统，都会给自己惹来一堆头疼事。

一句话：联通想推广自行开发的“沃”手机操作系统，注定要失败，且代价不菲。

Related postings 相关文章:

◙ Wo! China Unicom OS Stumbles Onto the Wire

◙ 2011: Year of the Unicom 2011：联通的好运年

◙ Unicom’s Q1 Results Mask Real Cause for Worry 中国联通：一季度财报掩盖真正忧患