By Telecom
Lead Team: In a booming market, many mobile OS vendors have an uphill battle
ahead, Yankee Group. Yankee Group cautions that while Apple’s iOS and Google’s
Android are sitting pretty with two-thirds of the market, HP’s webOS,
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Nokia’s Symbian are being left behind.
iOS
and Android will dominate. Over 80 percent of consumers intend to buy an iPhone
or Android-powered device over the next six months. iOS is the only contender
set to win share over that time frame.
RIM
and Microsoft are struggling to sell new smartphones. Twenty percent of U.S.
consumers own a RIM BlackBerry, but only 12 percent intending to buy a
smartphone in the next six months will purchase a BlackBerry device. Similarly,
14 percent of consumers own a Windows Mobile-based device, but only 9 percent
of those intending to buy a smartphone in the next six months say they will go
with Windows Mobile.
Symbian
and HP WebOS aren’t even in the race. Fewer than 2 percent of those
planning to buy a smartphone in the next six months want a Nokia or Palm.
Opportunities
within the smartphone market abound, but we’ve reached a critical point where
graves could be dug for several OS vendors. Consumer decisions made in the next
three years are likely to seal the fate, good or bad, of many OSs. Now is the
time for these vendors to fight for survival,” said Katie Lewis, Yankee Group
associate analyst and author of the report.
Recently, Yankee Group announced that 4G is going mass market and it couldn’t be at a
more opportune time. Between 2010 and 2015, the global installed base of
smartphones will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33
percent. The tablet market will move even faster, achieving a CAGR of 81
percent during the same period.
