April 21st, 2008

By 2013 20% Of Mobile Phones Will Be Powered By Linux

Analyst firm ABI Research are predicting that Linux will power some 20% of mobile phones by the year 2013. This prediction is based on a series of market dynamics including:

Growing momentum for the Linux Mobile (LiMo) Foundation
Google’s emergin Android platform
Nokia’s acquisition of Linux based Trolltech

“Linux OS solutions will be far more cost-effective than incumbent solutions, even when silicon requirements are taken into account, given that a fuller application layer will be included in the standard package and that the burden of customization falls mostly on the independent software vendor,” - Stuart Carlaw, a VP with ABI.

ABI also predict that mobile Linux solutions will in effect become a cornerstone in which to enable web-based apps and web/native applications. The firm also believe that Linux will be a central figure in bringing more content-rich environemtns to users with lower end mobile devices.

[via InformationWeek]