Google's Android will surpass Microsoft's
Windows as the most popular operating system in the world by 2016,
research firm IDC predicted in a study released Thursday.
The study, which combines usually disparate computer sectors such
as PCs, smartphones and mobile devices under the category "smart
connected devices," said that PCs running Windows would slip from
their current market share of 36 per cent to just 25 percent in
2016.
Android devices would rise from 29 percent to 31 percent, while
devices such as the iPad and iPhone which run Apple's iOS operating
system will increase their share of the market from 14.6 percent to
17 percent, the study predicted.
IDC said that 2011 saw total sales of 916 million smart connected
devices, with revenues of $489 billion. 2012 unit shipments
are set to surpass 1.1 billion with sales growing to 1.84 billion by
2016.
"Smartphone growth will be driven by Asia/Pacific countries,
especially China, where mobile operators are subsidizing the purchase
of 3G smartphones, thus increasing the total addressable market,"
said Will Stofega, IDC program director, Mobile Phone Technologies
and Trends. "In many if not all instances, the smartphone will be the
primary connection to the Internet."
