Android vendors are reported to ship over 1.1 billion devices. A new report from PCWorld claims Android will continue to grow and become the most popular operating system by a comfortable margin. This can be attributed to the increased demand for low-end smartphones.
Android sees growth
It’s this particular market segment that will help Android devices surpass 1 billion shipments. According to market research company Gartner, 75% of Android shipments will be from growing markets by 2017.
PCWorld added, “So far, Android hasn’t had tremendous success beyond its core product categories, but consumers’ familiarity with the OS helps vendors like Lenovo Group Limited (OTCMKTS:LNVGY) (HKG:0992) and Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ), which are using the OS on new PCs, according to Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. This week’s International CES trade show illustrates how the popularity of Google’s OS is starting to spill over from smartphones and tablets to all-in-one PCs, TVs and cars. The number of devices based on Apple OSes and Windows is also increasing, according to Gartner’s estimates. Year-on-year, shipments of Android devices will rise by 25.6 percent, compared to 29 percent for iOS and Mac OS and almost 10 percent for Windows.”
Windows picks up pace
Unlike Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS and Android, Windows has been struggling in the mobile market. The company is expected to increase revenues. This year, a total number of 359.9 million Windows devices are expected to ship compared to last year’s 328 million and and 2012’s 346.3 million. Consumers will purchase fewer personal computers and more Windows-based phones instead.
Ranjit Atwal added in a statement that mobile phones will continue to grow at a slow pace as the opportunities go from high-end devices to more moderately priced devices. He also said, “Meanwhile users continue to move away from the traditional PC as it becomes more of a shared content creation tool, while the greater flexibility of tablets, hybrids and lighter notebooks address users’ increasingly different demands.”
The mobile market presents a brighter future for both Android and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).
