Upstarts challenge reign of Google's Android
A small band of upstarts is chipping away at Google's mighty Android, hoping one day to overthrow the
system that runs eight in 10 smartphones sold worldwide.
Mozilla's Firefox OS and the Samsung-promoted Tizen staked a small claim to the market at the industry's
largest fair, the February 24-27 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
If there is a threat to Android's dominance, however, it could emerge from a slowdown in saturated
smartphone markets and the birth of a new interest in smart watches, bracelets and glasses, analysts say.
Android powered 78.4 percent of all smartphones sold in 2013, according to industry analyst Gartner
Inc. Apple's iOS mopped up most of the rest, taking 15.6 percent.
"There is little doubt that 2013 was the year of Android," said a report by industry research house Strategy
Analytics.
"However, Android's annual growth rate slowed to 62 percent in 2013, its lowest level in the
platform's history," it added.
"We expect Android's growth to slow further in 2014 due to market saturation, and rivals like
Microsoft or Firefox will be ready to pounce on any signs of a major slowdown for Android
this year."
Read more at: phys.org
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