Swiss startup takes on Apple and Google with privacy-first OS

Lugano-based Apostrophy is entering a field of competition that’s largely been abandoned after failed attempts to challenge Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone ecosystems by the likes of Microsoft Corp, Samsung Electronics Co, HP Inc’s Palm and even the Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox OS. — Bloomberg

Apostrophy AG, a software startup founded by mobile industry veterans, is headed to Davos this week to unveil a smartphone operating system that puts privacy first.

Betting on a growing push by regulators worldwide to rein in the duopoly power of Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google on mobile platforms, the Swiss firm is building a third option around the promise of data sovereignty. Founder Petter Neby, who already has one company selling high-design, low-tech mobile phones, is attending the World Economic Forum to get Apostrophy’s name in front of potential investors and government officials keen for a more competitive mobile landscape.