Android OS developers at Google in Mountain View, California might be joyfully yelling the words "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered" (originally in Latin as “veni, vidi, vici.”), once famously voiced by Julius Caesar to describe one of his victories. They have all the right to rejoice as Android OS with its constantly and fast updating versions is virtually conquering the mobile phone world.
Android, Google's free mobile operating software is the most happening thing in mobile phone market in 2010. From single digit market share in the beginning of 2010, Android OS has percolated almost whole smartphone sectors to register figures of 25.5% market penetration by third quarter, according to Gartner, a marketing research firm. In the process, it has made the impossible possible; Android has brought down the sky high prices of smartphones, thus making it approachable for the common man.
In pcworld.com's selection of top 10 smarttphones of 2010, barring Apple iPhone 4, all other phones namely Samsung Epic 4G, T-Mobile myTouch 4G, HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Google Nexus One, Samsung Mesmerize, Samsung Focus and Samsung Fascinate come with Android OS. The domination Android OS among Top 10 smartphones list in 2010 is just a beginning. With the more refined Android 2.3 Gingerbread expected to be in the market soon, one can be sure that Android is here to stay and dominate mobile phone market in the coming years too.
According to IDC's new "Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker", the global smartphone market of 2014 could see Android in second place with a 25 percent share, followed by BlackBerry, Apple, and Windows Mobile, Though annual growth in the hot smartphone market may slow in another four years, certain key players will continue to drive sales and grab more market share. No one vendor will dominate the landscape, but Android will enjoy the fastest growth, IDC forecasts. Nokia's Symbian will hang on to its No. 1 spot with 32.9 percent of the market in 2014. But it will lose some customers to Android.
"Phone vendors have been drawn to Android because it allows them to present their own approach to what a smartphone experience can be," Ramon Llamas, a senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team, said in a statement. "In addition, users have quickly warmed to Android, comparing it to iOS due to its ease of use and a growing mobile application storefront. Now that HTC and Motorola have leapt out in front with their own respective devices, other vendors such as Dell, Kyocera, LG Electronics, and Samsung will soon help grow the Android market."
With open source development as it's core strength, and Google overseeing it properly, Android OS is sure to overcome it's minor glitches like what it has now with browser and multi touch interaction. In a nut shell, Android will get more refined as Google continues to release updates for it and dominate the world of mobile phones for a long time.
