Google’s Android OS to continue growth

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Ovum report, Smartphone market forecast 2009-2015, outlines a number of reasons for the continued adoption of the Android OS.

As manufacturers try to push the costs of smartphones down, the continued commoditization of mobile software platforms through large open source projects such as Android help to make this feasible. A large number of ODM and OEMs are using Android as a basis for their low-cost devices.

In 2009, Symbian Foundation’s Symbian OS recorded a market share of 48 percent of the smartphone market. This is down from 58 percent in 2008. Though Ovum expect Symbian to reach 168 million units in 2015, it’s market share will continue to drop to 30 percent due to growing shipments from all vendors and particularly rapid adoption of the Google Android OS.

All but one of the top five handset vendors is using Google’s Android OS. This usage has grown from a standing start in 2008 and looks to continue. Ovum expects Android shipments to reach 110.8 million units by 2015 and expects Android will overtake shipments of Windows Mobile by 2014.