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Android Will Surpass Windows By 2016, Say Gartner Stats

Posted by timothy on from the see?-change dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Google's Android operating system will be used on more computing devices than Microsoft's Windows within four years, data from research firm Gartner showed on Wednesday, underlining the massive shift in the technology sector. At the end of 2016, there will be 2.3 billion computers, tablets and smartphones using Android software, compared with 2.28 billion Windows devices, Gartner data showed." The comparison would make less sense if Android was strictly for phones, and Windows was strictly for desktops-with-keyboards, but gets interesting as the devices on which each system runs overlap ever more.

8 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. WTF? by Cyberax · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What are they smoking? Android devices will surpass the number of PCs the next year. Probably, it's already the most widely used OS.

  2. Re:Oblig by Arancaytar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure, if your desktop device is a phone. I suppose it's possible.

  3. Re:Different interaction method required for deskt by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah 'cuz it's not like Microsoft is pushing tablet behavior on the desktop...oh wait....

  4. Microsoft isn't the only one to be worried by sl4shd0rk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    M$ should be worried. Along with Apple and anyone else trying to keep their proprietary little death-grip on their market share. Android is turning up everywhere. It's becoming ubiquitous. You can find it on everything from smartphones to Televisions[0] to Refrigerators[1]. Why do you think Apple is going 'thermo nuclear' on Android? It's not just due to 'Rounded corners and rectangular design' it's because Android can be made to run on just about any home appliance imaginable -- and guess who makes a lot of home appliances (TVs, fridges, washing machines, etc) as well as smartphones? Now guess who doesn't?

    Apple and Microsoft PAY people extraordinary salaries to forecast market trends. They know where the industry is trending. And it ain't trending into Cupertino or Redmond at the moment -- at least not in the world outside of the US.

    [0] - http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/android-powered-pocket-tv-turns-any-television-into-a-smart-tv/

    [1] - http://www.technologyreview.com/view/425210/do-we-really-need-an-android-powered-fridge/

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  5. Android most popular Linux distro by Runesabre · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For years we've been talking about "The Year for Linux on the Desktop". As veteran game developer, it's always boggled me how Linux, despite it's power, is so shortsighted when it comes to 3rd party support and distribution. 3rd part support and easy distribution along with backwards and forwards compatibility is what made Windows so dominate over the past 20 years. The typical solution bandied about by Linux users is "you can always distribute the source and recompile". Yes, that's what the average computer wants to do; fiddle around recompiling source code on their personal micro-flavor of Linux out of a sea of 100s of distros only to have it break again with the next 0.0.0.1 release of the underlying OS.

    What's telling to me is that now when you ask "What's the most popular Linux distro", you can arguably say "Android" and the reason Android has become so popular is because it easily supports 3rd party apps like a reasonable OS is expected. No fuss no muss. Just like Windows.

    Congratulations, Google, for finally taking Linux in the right direction.

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    1. Re:Android most popular Linux distro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Except android isn't really like any other linux distribution. Android uses the Linux kernel, but it doesn't use the gnu libraries, x-windows, and all the other supporting infra-structure of a typical linux distribution.

      Android is largely a linux kernel to support the hardware and multi-tasking, with a modified Java VM running the apps. That's quite different from what most would consider Linux. I still think it's great, and a wonderful alternative to the Windows stack, but grouping it with the other linux distributions is really misleading. It's really like a totally re-imagined Linux, killing off much of the Unix roots.

  6. Oh man... by Jintsui · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I pulled a muscle I laughed so hard at this... Thank you for making my day...

  7. Most Androids sold are already in the landfil by cockpitcomp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Considering most phones last less than 2 years. How about comparing working devices?