OnePlus And Cyanogen Officially File For Divorce
The rocky relationship between Cyanogen and OnePlus appears to have ended. Not that it's any real big surprise -- the two weren't always on the same page when it came to software and logistics. For example, OnePlus had promised OnePlus One handset owners a Cyanogen OS update by a specific date, and when it didn't happen, Cyanogen explained (not so politely) that it never made any such promise and that the new build would be finished when it's finished.
It created and awkward situation for OnePlus One owners who got caught in the middle of a relationship that was headed off a cliff. And so here we are at the end of the road watching OnePlus and Cyanogen part company, or at least that's how it appears. Maybe there's a chance the two firms patch things up, though it certainly doesn't appear that's going to be the case.
Cyanogen's Kirt McMaster and Steve Kondik discussed its relationship with OnePlus at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, and also talked of a future in which the two likely would no longer be working together.
"That's probably the last you will see from that partnership unfortunately," Kondik said. "Two new companies are trying to do crazy stuff, a lot of people collide."
According to Kondik, Cyanogen's goals for software didn't align with OnePlus. Cyanogen is trying to create a real alternative to Google's stock Android experience that goes beyond surface enhancements and adds non-Google services into the mix, whereas OnePlus has its own custom version of Android it's working on.
McMaster chimed in and might have hinted at how OnePlus has a different goal. Without specifically mentioning OnePlus, McMaster said that certain vendors have the "delusion" that building an Android "skin" is enough to compete against Apple.
He was also more critical of OnePlus, noting that "without Cyanogen, OnePlus would have sold like one device in international markets. Essentially they built their brand on the back of Cyanogen."
That relationship worked both ways, as it helped Cyanogen prove thrive beyond the niche modding community. And while it's early, it may have opened the door to other partnerships with bigger brands -- imagine if Cyanogen teamed up with a company like LG or Samsung.
It created and awkward situation for OnePlus One owners who got caught in the middle of a relationship that was headed off a cliff. And so here we are at the end of the road watching OnePlus and Cyanogen part company, or at least that's how it appears. Maybe there's a chance the two firms patch things up, though it certainly doesn't appear that's going to be the case.
Cyanogen's Kirt McMaster and Steve Kondik discussed its relationship with OnePlus at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, and also talked of a future in which the two likely would no longer be working together.
"That's probably the last you will see from that partnership unfortunately," Kondik said. "Two new companies are trying to do crazy stuff, a lot of people collide."
According to Kondik, Cyanogen's goals for software didn't align with OnePlus. Cyanogen is trying to create a real alternative to Google's stock Android experience that goes beyond surface enhancements and adds non-Google services into the mix, whereas OnePlus has its own custom version of Android it's working on.
McMaster chimed in and might have hinted at how OnePlus has a different goal. Without specifically mentioning OnePlus, McMaster said that certain vendors have the "delusion" that building an Android "skin" is enough to compete against Apple.
He was also more critical of OnePlus, noting that "without Cyanogen, OnePlus would have sold like one device in international markets. Essentially they built their brand on the back of Cyanogen."
That relationship worked both ways, as it helped Cyanogen prove thrive beyond the niche modding community. And while it's early, it may have opened the door to other partnerships with bigger brands -- imagine if Cyanogen teamed up with a company like LG or Samsung.
