Skip to main content

Linux to Dominate on Mobile Internet Devices

The Mobile Internet Devices (MID) market is likely to be the first example of a greenfield situation in which all mobile operating systems start on the same equal footing, without the baggage of previous histories -- such as existed in the smartphone market.

The Linux OS, in the form of Moblin, LiMo and Maemo, looks ready to take the lion's share of the MID market and is set to capture unit volumes of 50 millions units per annum in 2013.

ABI Research vice president and research director Stuart Carlaw says, "Maemo is already in this space thanks to the patronage of Nokia; Moblin will benefit from tight integration with Atom and Intel's drive; and LiMo is actively being positioned for this market. The flexibility, customization and very positive cost comparison to Windows Mobile looks set to ensure that Linux takes the leading role in this market."

One of the more significant aspects of the Linux OS in this market is its ability to provide a converged platform that can span multiple device segments. The concept of a single OS that covers MIDs, smartphones and mid-tier devices is very attractive indeed.

In reality, only LiMo and potentially Moblin hold the possibility of achieving this level of success.

ABI's Mobile Linux report, provides a picture of the projected uptake of Linux in two major applications, as a commercial OS and as an RTOS replacement. It offers a candid analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Linux solution, and describes major drivers and barriers that are dictating the growth of the mobile Linux market.

Popular posts from this blog

The Billions Bet on Tentative AI Demand

Gartner's latest worldwide IT spending forecast exposes a trend every CIO has already felt in budget negotiations. Total spending will climb 14.2 percent in 2026, reaching $6.37 trillion. It seems that the IT infrastructure market is simply having a strong year. However, the more useful insight is how unevenly that growth is distributed. The Headline Number vs. The Real Story Data center systems and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) are absorbing capital at a pace several multiples faster than devices, communications services, and traditional IT services. This is not incremental growth spread across a healthy portfolio. It is a wholesale reallocation of enterprise technology budgets toward AI infrastructure, made on the expectation that demand for AI workloads will justify the outlay before that demand has been fully proven. Where the Money is Going Data center systems are forecast to grow 62.5 percent in 2026, that's up from 51.6 percent growth in 2025, reaching $822 billion....