What do you do for an encore when you hit the milestone of 1 billion device activations in 2013? According to market research firm Gartner, if you’re Android, you set your sights on getting 1 billion active users in 2014. The firm expects that Android will remain the “OS of choice across all devices” and will reach 1.1 billion users in 2014. Many of these users will have more than one Android device with the installed base likely to hit 1.9 billion devices.
Much of Android’s growth is expected to come from emerging markets where low-cost smartphones and tablets dominate sales. Gartner adds that, by 2017, emerging markets could account for as much as 75% of sales volumes.
“There is no doubt that there is a volume versus value equation, with Android users also purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users. Android holds the largest number of installed-base devices, with 1.9 billion in use in 2014, compared with 682 million iOS/Mac OS installed-base devices,” said Annette Zimmerman, principal analyst at Gartner.
All in all, Gartner expects that worldwide combined shipments of devices ( including PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) will hit 2.5 billion units in 2014, a 7.6% increase over 2013 shipments. PCs (both desktops and laptops) will continue to shrink as users shift to other devices, including smartphones, tablets, and other so-called ultramobile devices such as convertible tablets.
Source : Gartner