Global shipments of portable internet devices based on 'lite' operating systems (OSs) will hit 150 million per year in 2015, according to technology analyst firm Ovum. The portable devices tracked in Ovum's forecast are those that use 'lite' OSs such as Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and RIM’s BlackBerry Tablet OS and include tablet devices such as the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab and the BlackBerry PlayBook as well as clamshell and convertible form factors.
Ovum predicts that while the greatest penetration of such devices is expected to be in North America and Western Europe, Asia Pacific will take delivery of the largest fraction (35%) of shipments. According to Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum, this huge growth in shipments will be dominated by tablet-style technologies such as the iPad and will mainly be driven by consumers buying devices to complement their smartphones.
Furthermore, Ovum’s figures also suggest that by 2015, Google’s operating systems - primarily Android but also likely to include Chrome OS - will dominate the market, pushing Apple’s iOS into second place. Apple is currently the market leader, with 90 percent of the 2010 market on Ovum's figures.
Also, Ovum does not expect that the growing market for this type of device will affect smartphone sales.
