Operating System Battleground Expands from Handsets to Mobile Devices

"“Mobile OSes, from Google’s Android, to Symbian, to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile, have been fighting it out for leadership in the burgeoning smart-phone market,” said Jagdish Rebello, Ph.D., senior director and principal analyst for wireless research at iSuppli Corp. “However, with wireless carriers supporting more types of devices on their networks, the mobile OS battle now is spreading beyond the smart-phone arena and is entering the larger realm of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), a category that includes netbook PCs, Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs), MP3 players, automotive infotainment systems and Internet Access Devices (IADs). With the carriers also supporting multiple OSes, the challenge for developers is to offer application and content that is compelling on multiple platforms.”"

"The potential market for such content is huge."

"Global shipments of smart phones and other wirelessly enabled Internet-connected devices are set to rise to approximately 735.6 million units in 2014, almost three times the projected shipments of 262.7 million in 2009. The attached figure presents iSuppli’s global forecast of wirelessly connected mobile devices. iSuppli defines mobilized connectable devices as gadgets that have integrated connectivity for Wireless Local Area Network (WLANs), Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs) or 3G-or-higher Worldwide Wide Area Networks (WWANs)."