Android May Have Reached Market Saturation At 85% Share
David Curry | | Nov 03, 2014 08:09 AM EST |
Google's open-source Android OS may have reached market saturation point, according to several mobile analysts who don't believe that Android will surpass its current 85 percent hold of the mobile market.
Android has had a steady rise ever since 2010, when the mobile OS started gathering speed against Apple's iOS. Samsung has been the biggest provider of market share for Android, selling 60 to 90 million smartphones every year since 2012.
Like Us on Facebook
At the last Google I/O, Android hit 1.1 billion users worldwide, including a forked version of Android like the Kindle Fire. China has given a lot of life to Android, alongside India and other large developing nations, who cannot afford high-end smartphones.
Behind Android's large lead in the mobile market, iOS sits at 12 percent. Apple holds similar numbers in the desktop battle, where Microsoft's Windows has 92.3 percent share on desktop and Mac OS X holds 7 percent. This is due to Apple only pushing out a few products a year and not licensing their software to any third party or clone manufacturers.
In third sits Windows Phone, Microsoft's mobile OS, at 3 percent. The last two years have been rather steady for Windows Phone, which is not a good thing, since they're still in third and cannot surpass iOS, even though they license their software to third party manufacturers.
Even with the market slowdown, Android is not expected to drop anytime soon - in fact - most analysts say Android will stay at 85 percent for a good few years, unless Apple manages to soar ahead in sales or Windows Phone actually becomes a viable alternative to Android and iOS.
Forked versions of Android are also down year-on-year, with more Chinese manufacturers adopting Android with a skin, instead of forking the service and changing the stock apps available. The stock apps are the only way Google makes money on Android - meaning Kindle Fire and forked versions essentially take all revenue away from Google.
Google should announce 1.5 billion devices running Android by the time Google I/O 2015 begins in June.
©2015 Chinatopix All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission
- Google Copresence: New Short Range File Sharing Service
- Google Nexus 6 Already Sold Out
- Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 Android 5.0 Lollipop Priority Features
- Samsung Galaxy A5 Specs and High Price Unveiled
- Nexus 9 Monster Features and Specs Android Tablets Will Showcase Soon
- Samsung Gear S Coming To U.S. Nov. 7
EDITOR'S PICKS
-
Did the Trump administration just announce plans for a trade war with ‘hostile’ China and Russia?
-
US Senate passes Taiwan travel bill slammed by China
-
As Yan Sihong’s family grieves, here are other Chinese students who went missing abroad. Some have never been found
-
Beijing blasts Western critics who ‘smear China’ with the term sharp power
-
China Envoy Seeks to Defuse Tensions With U.S. as a Trade War Brews
-
Singapore's Deputy PM Provides Bitcoin Vote of Confidence Amid China's Blanket Bans
-
China warns investors over risks in overseas virtual currency trading
-
Chinese government most trustworthy: survey
-
Kashima Antlers On Course For Back-To-Back Titles
MOST POPULAR
LATEST NEWS
Zhou Yongkang: China's Former Security Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison
China's former Chief of the Ministry of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, has been given a life sentence after he was found guilty of abusing his office, bribery and deliberately ... Full Article
TRENDING STORY
-
China Pork Prices Expected to Stabilize As The Supplies Recover
-
Elephone P9000 Smartphone is now on Sale on Amazon India
-
There's a Big Chance Cliffhangers Won't Still Be Resolved When Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Returns
-
Supreme Court Ruled on Samsung vs Apple Dispute for Patent Infringement
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumors and Release Date: What is the Latest?