Android’s relentless push to dominate the mobile market could be all but complete by the end of the year, according to telecoms analyst Ovum.Reports from Nielsen and Kantar Worldpanel Comtech have already revealed the superiority of the little green robot in the smartphone market both in the UK and US; and now latest figures show that Android is gunning for top spot in apps too.
Ovum expects that the total number of app downloads will reach 18 billion this year, a dramatic rise from the 7.4 billion downloaded in 2010. Interestingly though, it will be Android taking the majority share with a staggering 8.1 billion, putting Apple’s 6 billion to shame.
With Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich update revealed earlier this week by Google ‘s Eric Schmidt , to be on the way in the coming months, Google’s grasp for power in the mobile arena seems unyielding.
The platform’s popularity and availability have been cited by Ovum as the main reason behind the exceptional growth.
“The huge lead in downloads that Android will take on Apple is being driven by the growth of the platform as a result of its increasing popularity and progress into lower price points,” said Ovum analyst Nick Dillon.
Apple needn’t panic too much, however; the iPhone makers are expected to retain their lead when it comes to paid apps. App Store revenue is expected to generate a lucrative £1.79billion in the near-future compared to the Android market’s measly £940million.
Elsewhere, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system is expected to threaten BlackBerry’s bronze medal before 2015, a prediction that should send alarm bells ringing at RIM. BlackBerry was the number one smartphone in the UK in 2010 and for them to see their lead cut so dramatically, to become threatened by Windows – who themselves have stuttered – will be a worrying thought for the Canadians.
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