The number of smartphones and tablet computers shipped with Google’s Android operating system will break the 1 billion barrier this year, research group Gartner said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Android, which is installed on products made by Samsung, HTC, Sony and many other manufacturers, is forecast to reach 1.1 billion users in 2014, up 26% on last year, with the strongest demand in emerging markets.<\/p>\n
Apple’s iOS and Mac OS operating systems are expected to be in 344 million new iPhones, iPads and Macs this year, Gartner added, representing a 28% jump on the number of devices shipped in 2013.<\/p>\n
“There is no doubt that there is a volume-versus-value equation, with Android users purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users,” Gartner analyst Annette Zimmerman said in a statement on Tuesday (7 January).<\/p>\n
Microsoft’s Windows operating system, which dominates the PC and notebook segments, is forecast to be in 360 million new devices, up from 328 million in 2013.<\/p>\n
Growth in the PC and notebook segment has been hit by the popularity of tablet computers, sales of which are forecast to increase by 47% this year to 263 million, according to Gartner.<\/p>\n
“Users continue to move away from the traditional PC as it becomes more of a shared-content creation tool, while the greater flexibility of tablets, hybrids and lighter notebooks address users’ increasingly different usage demands,” Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said.<\/p>\n
Sales of mobile phones are expected to continue to increase, but at a slower pace, with the focus moving away from top-end premium devices to mid-level products, he added.<\/p>\n
Gartner said it expects combined global shipments of all devices to reach 2.48 billion units this year, up 7.6% on 2013.<\/p>\n
Google pulls back Android privacy feature<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n