Samsung encourages app makers to use its own developer kit after posting record profit

Samsung is set to encourage app developers to adopt its own software development kits (SDK) rather than use Google’s, just days after the company revealed a record 8.24 trillion won ($8 billion) quarterly profit.

Samsung has revealed it is unveiling an SDK for both smartphones, its Knox security package and smart TVs at the Samsung Developers Conference in San Francisco, which runs from October 28 to 29.

While sections of the Korean press have recently suggested Samsung is set to use its Tizen operating system to power its smart TVs in competition with Google Android, it is unclear whether the company has any plans officially unveil any Tizen-related plans during the conference.

In a post on the company’s official blog, Samsung’s mobile communication service R&D team vice president J.Seo says product differentiation with other Android device makers is a key reason for the company developing its own SDK’s, rather than using Google’s.

“Because Android is, by far, the most dominant open source platform and many of our competitors use Android, Jelly Bean or KitKat, just like us. However, we always have been differentiating our software. One of the ways we wanted to achieve this was to develop Samsung specialized apps.

“Realistically, it is difficult to make a high quantity of high quality apps like S Note, just by ourselves. This means that there is plenty of potential for good apps to fill the void. Currently, many developers use Android, but it is very complicated and exhausting to develop an app like S Note with just Android.

“Therefore, we decided to come up with a way that any individual developer can make apps like S note, and we created Samsung Mobile SDK.”

The news comes after the South Korean electronics giant revealed a 26% year-on-year jump in quarterly profits, with net profits jumping to 8.26 trillion won ($8 billion) from 6.56 trillion ($6.4 billion).

According to figures published by the Korean Times, the company’s smartphone business accounted for 6.7 trillion won ($6.5 billion) in operating profit.

Meanwhile, the company’s semiconductor business accounted for 2.06 ($2.02 billion) trillion won in operating profit.