CyanogenMod has long been a well-known custom ROM powering a number of devices, and for the last couple of years its more official counterpart, Cyanogen OS has been doing the same with a handful of smartphones, the most talked-about being the not so old OnePlus One which showcased the true worth of Cyanogen OS and the added features that it could bring to Android. However, it was recently reported that the Cyanogen Inc’s business model of concentrating on OS alone wasn’t reaping much benefit, forcing the company to lay off a fifth of its staff and focusing on apps instead. The reports are now being stated to have not come out in completely accurate detail, as Kirt McMaster, CEO of Cyanogen Inc., took to Twitter to express his company’s commitment towards the OS and to achieve its mission of creating an open Android scenario and described the false rumors as ‘outstanding.’
Mr McMaster did accept the fact that the company had to lay off some employees and expressed his sadness in a separate tweet, but even if rumors suggesting that the OS business was at fault are true, then it doesn’t seem like the company is willing to give up on the business just yet. Recently, Lenovo confirmed that it will launch the ZUK Z1 phone, which runs Cyanogen OS, in India. Until recently, only Micromax could launch phones in India running Cyanogen OS and it did so with its Yu line of phones. But the entry of the ZUK Z1 is set to give the OS a fresh lease of life in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market. This could be a reason why Cyanogen Inc isn’t thinking of moving to apps just yet.
Cyanogen OS’ status as one of the most popular firmware offerings has continued so far because of the proliferation of Android-based smartphones with custom UIs, either installed by phone makers themselves or obtained from third parties like Cyanogen Inc itself. Given that Google’s Nexus phones may continue to be the only smartphones running pure Android OS, Cyanogen Inc. has the opportunity to partner with many more OEMs across uncharted regions to power more smartphones in the future. The fact that McMaster chose to term his company an OS company first and foremost says a lot about the firm’s plans of staying put in the OS field in the long run, albeit with a smaller workforce.