Although Google’s Android operating system currently accounts for less than 2 percent of all smartphones only, research company Gartner sees a huge growth potential in the next three years. By the end of 2012, Android is expected to take the second place in the global smartphone market, ahead of iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile operating systems. According to Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, Android will experience substantial expansion that by 2012, its global market share will have jumped to 14.5 percent with 76 million devices sold. This means the open mobile platform will replace Blackberry OS as the second-ranking system.
Symbian OS, which is used in Nokia devices, is predicted to lose about 10 percent of its market share, but will still maintain the top by selling 203 million handsets and making up 39% of the market. Meanwhile, iPhone will grow steadily and keep its third place with 71.5 million shipments, giving a 13.7 percent global market penetration.
Symbian OS, which is used in Nokia devices, is predicted to lose about 10 percent of its market share, but will still maintain the top by selling 203 million handsets and making up 39% of the market. Meanwhile, iPhone will grow steadily and keep its third place with 71.5 million shipments, giving a 13.7 percent global market penetration.
Analysts believe that Android’s edge mainly lies in its open-source technology, which makes it easier to customize for different devices and more attractive among software developers. The fact that Android will appear on multiple vendors’ devices will also contribute to its growth. In 2010, about 40 new Android-powered handsets from Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC and Dell, will show up in the market. Android 2.0 donut, the next OS update, will start shipping in the second quarter as well.
While Android will represent the fastest growing OS, Gartner’s report shows that the current second-place system used in Blackberry devices will slide to the fifth place, with its market share dropped from 19.9 percent to 12.5 percent. Windows Mobile will remain in the fourth position, showing a slightly rise in share from 10.3 percent to 12.5 percent.
The outcome of the OS battle may be uncertain, but it is generally believed that the demand of smartphones will continue to increase at the expense of mid-range feature phones. Gartner estimates 522 million smartphones will be shipped in 2012.
Tags: iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, Samsung Accessories, LG Accessories, Nokia Accessories, HTC Accessories
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