In a recent report, ABI Research ( News - Alert) predicted that three companies — Mobiln, LiMo and Maemo — are poised to take the lion’s share of the mobile Internet devices (MID) market for Linux OS. The firm projected that, overall, Linux will capture 50 million units per year by 2013.
The MID market presents a rare “green field” for Linux, ABI said in its report, "Bringing License-Free Operating Systems to Smartphones and Middle-Tier Devices."
“Maemo is already in this space thanks to the patronage of Nokia ( News - Alert); Moblin will benefit from tight integration with Atom and Intel’s drive; and LiMo is actively being positioned for this market,” said ABI analyst Stuart Carlaw. “The flexibility, customization and very positive cost comparison to Windows Mobile looks set to ensure that Linux takes the leading role in this market.”
ABI also predicted that Linux will soon be the top-selling operating system in the mobile Internet device market.
Linux OS facilitates a converged platform that can extend over multiple device segments — smartphones and mid-tier devices included. These two categories in particular are of interest to LiMo and potentially Moblin as well.
Jyothi Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jyothi’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
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