Can a third operating system survive today's smartphone world?

The ordeal that Huawei is currently going through with being added to the dreaded "entity list" and barred from doing business with Google (among others) got us thinking. OK, Android is an open source operating system that anyone can download and use in the form of AOSP. But if you want your product to have any hope, you'd better help you can get Google's framework on it.

Why? Because this gives you the Play Store with its access to — you know — actual apps. Not to mention that some push notifications and a ton of updates are tightly linked to the Google framework.

So, since Apple's iOS is exclusive to iPhones, and Android is only useful if you get Google's blessing, we wondered... Does the world need a 3rd smartphone operating system? Can one survive? Even if it gets released today, it will still take tons of time for developers to build apps for it. From essential ones, to games, to digital banking and payment apps, or companion apps for your accessories like cameras or fitness trackers.

We've seen companies try to make their own software before — Samsung tried with Bada and then with Tizen, there was Palm's webOS, and many others which didn't really manage to lift off. More notably, Microsoft had its Windows Mobile platform (renamed a few times during its existence), which only made it to grabbing 3% of the market and it was all downhill from there. And it serves as a pretty good example of how a lack of developers and apps on your app store can spell out a disaster.

But what do you think? Does a new operating system stand any chance if it comes up now?