Android Growth Eclipsing Microsoft Windows and Apple OSes

[techbeck]

The worldwide market share for the Android operating system will exceed one billion shipments this year, according to projections released on Tuesday by Gartner Inc.

 

Gartner's announcement described Android as "the OS choice across all devices," forecasting that 1.1 billion copies of the Linux-based OS will be in use this year. The projected 2014 Android shipments will be up 26 percent compared with the 877,885,000 Android units that were shipped in 2013, according to Gartner.

 

Microsoft's Windows OS will be the next runner up, followed by Apple's iOS and Mac OS, over the next two years, according to Gartner's stats (see chart).

 

 

Gartner's stats actually showed a decline in Windows shipments happening in 2013 compared with the prior year. For instance, in 2012, there were 346,272,000 Windows units shipped vs. 327,956,000 units shipped in 2013. However, Gartner is projecting future growth for Windows shipments, rising to 359,855,000 units in 2014 and to 422,726,000 units in 2015.

 

Gartner also provided stats for the RIM OS and Google Chrome OS. RIM OS shipments will decrease from 34,581,000 units shipped in 2012 to a projected 10,597,000 units shipped in 2015. In contrast, the Google Chrome OS is on the rise. Chrome OS shipments are expected to increase from 185,000 units shipped in 2012 to a forecasted 8 million units shipped in 2015.

 

Of course, OSes are tied to hardware. Gartner provides both OS and hardware shipment projections in its publication, "Forecast: PCs, Ultramobiles, and Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2010-2017, 4Q13 Update." The Stamford, Conn.-based research and consulting firm expects to see 2.5 billion computing devices shipped in 2014, up 7.6 percent compared with 2013 device shipments.

 

In general, PCs shipments are following a relatively flat trend over the next two years. Gartner is forecasting a 0.2 percent growth rate for PCs in 2014, up from a 9.9 percent decline that happened in 2013. Mobile phones are the most shipped devices, but tablets are showing the most growth promise, per Gartner. In 2014, tablets will demonstrate a 47 percent growth rate, according to Gartner's projections.

 

http://redmondmag.com/articles/2014/01/07/android-growth-eclipsing-windows.aspx

[vcfan]

don't you just love predictions

 

[firey]

This is the actual trend though.  I don't see WP going anywhere big.. definitely not to the scale of iOS and Android.  And with Android being available in all markets on thousands of devices, it's not hard to see that it will outsell iOS which is only on apple devices.

[spenser.d]

Are they combining all devices that these OSs ship on (PCs, laptops, tablets, phones)?  Seems like a ridiculous thing to do.  Damn near all of the Android part comes from phones, which is a different market than say PCs, or even tablets, which Android would also be ahead in.  But it still seems stupid to lump them together and come to the conclusion that Android is the choice across all devices, because it's not.

[Max Norris]

Apples and oranges? No pun intended. Well maybe a little.

[PGHammer]

And there's one big reason Android is where it is - it's called price.  The hardware is cheap, the OS costs OEMs nothing or nearly nothing, and thus it's easily buyable as a "whim/impulse" purchase (at least on tablets - not so much on smartphones, due to data-plan pricing on most carriers).  Also, there is now a massive supply of dual-core Android tablets at sub-$100USD prices - in the US; MicroCenter alone has five.  (Only one - the ASUS MeMo Pad - has a non-ARM CPU; the other four are A7, A8 (two) and A9.  The A9 - which is also the priciest of the five - STILL undercuts the cheapest refurbished Windows portable.)

 

Outside the US, the race to the bottom is in high gear, if not overdrive.

 

Old news, and completely unsurprising.

[Rippleman]

it does mess up the results pretty bad when you can buy $19-$29 android devices...

[ctebah]

it does mess up the results pretty bad when you can buy $19-$29 android devices...

It's true, it inflates the numbers, but that shouldn't take away anything from android. It's a great operating system that can run on many devices. Apple has always stuck to the higher end market, where all the profits are. I don't see them leaving that market, ever, and their market share numbers will always be low.

[Rickkins]

The windows numbers are kinda bogus, as many folks who get a device(pc or laptop) convert them immediately to desktop only devices by way of Classic Shell et al.

[riahc3]

Hello,

The windows numbers are kinda bogus, as many folks who get a device(pc or laptop) convert them immediately to desktop only devices by way of Classic Shell et al.

Completely random comment that has nothing to do with the thread.

[123456789A]

I also see water consumption eclipsing milk consumption over the next 5 years.

[ATLien_0]

Well Android is the new Windows for mobile os's. Just like with Windows it can be loaded on just about any device and the key to this for Android is version/hardware fragmentation. The fact that Tmobile for instance still can sell a $39 Android phone with 2.3 on it says a lot. 

[DConnell Member]

The windows numbers are kinda bogus, as many folks who get a device(pc or laptop) convert them immediately to desktop only devices by way of Classic Shell et al.

 

Windows with an add-on shell is still Windows. Doesn't matter whether it's a vanilla installation or using the entire Stardock product line, it's still a Windows license/installation.

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

It makes me very happy to see more and more teens and young adults using Android rather than iPhones. I think the fad is finally starting to die. But i hope that they do not start using Android as a Hipster thing.

[NeoWind]

This doesn't change the fact that developer still choose iOS as their primary platform for developing latest application and many of great apps is still iOS exclusive such infinity blade III and more than i can think of.

 

The comparison of mobile competition has changed. It's no longer just market share to determine which platform is far superior.

[BajiRav]

Funny...I am sure Symbian outsold Windows/OS X for the longest time. Did any anal-yst produce graphs like this in that era?

[aviator189]

well, seeing as how there are just loads and loads of android mobile devices everywhere with virtually every  carrier and it's a free os to license, it isn't surprising.  But we all know how those ps3 vs xbox 360 vs wii predictions panned out, right?

Anything and everything  can change in a short period of time.  

[Active.]

Well Android is the new Windows for mobile os's.  

Not yet. And let's hope it won't come to that. 

[Rickkins]

 

Anything and everything  can change in a short period of time.  

That much is true.