Android will have second-largest market share by 2011, says Gartner

By Sean Brunett
last updated

Gartner Inc., a leading information technology research company, is forecasting that Android OS will be #2 in market share by the end of 2010, only behind Symbian and will even challenge Symbian for the top spot in 2014. A year ago, Gartner predicted that Android would claim the #2 spot eventually, but not until 2012. The increase in popularity and manufacturer support has driven them to change this forecast.

Symbian still has a large share of the market due to its proliferation in mass markets. Android will be challenging them in those markets soon enough, according to Gartner:

"Gartner expects manufacturers such as Samsung to launch many new budget Android devices in 2H10 that will drive Android into mass market segments. Other players, such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola, will follow a similar strategy. This trend should help Android become the top OS in North America by the end of 2010."

This is a sign and example of Android's growth. Gartner, along with other research companies, had expected Android to gain considerable market share, but not for a couple years. The fact that they are now expecting it to claim the #2 spot by the end of this year showcases its popularity and adoption. [Gartner]

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Sean Brunett
Sean Brunett
20 Comments
  • Go andy, apple already eaten. Symbian is to old to compete...
  • What's odd is that bubble in the IOS market share prediction for next year (2011). I see nothing to justify that. If anything, antenna-gate occurring EXACTLY when cutting edge Android phones were appearing in droves would seem to have blunted any significant advance Apple might make in the near term. Can anyone here name even one Symbian smartphone?
  • Nokia N8? I'm just saying. What is unknown is whether the data above for Symbian is taking into consideration Nokia's decision to be using Meego on all of their smartphones post N8. I've said it once, I'll say it again, but if Nokia went to bed with Google, they would make the most beautiful babies ever, I couldn't imagine a sane person who wouldn't jump on those handsets. I love HTC, Moto is ok (products are a hit or miss...quality wise), and Samsung, well, no need to offend any owners here, but once you've owned a Nokia piece of hardware, you know you've held the best. No offense Nokia, but I hope Meego doesn't work out for you, maybe then you'll have learned your lesson and finally accepted and adopted Android.
  • While symbian may be almost unknown in the US, in the rest of the world where Nokia is the #1 manufacurer, Symbian is king.
  • Ok am I reading this wrong? It says under 2010 "Android - 17.7%, RIM - 17.5%, iOS - 15.4%... So wouldn't Android ALREADY be number 2? Also is this global or USA? Oh yeah and Symbian sucks....
  • That's the end-of-year projection.
  • Apparently they have low hopes for Windows mobile 7. I'm not a fan of it by any means but <5% seems a bit low
  • How are they predicting a drop off for WinPhone7 in 4years and the new OS isn't even out yet?....
  • But hey guys! Dont you know that Apple makes MORE money off of the people that buy their phones! The Apple corporation bilks their buyers better than the Android ones! That clearly why they are better! /s
  • Hopefully that will lead developers to some decent, creative apps in the Market. Not to troll, but man, there are NO creative, musician-centered apps in there, at all. I'm honestly jealous of my iPhone-toting friends.
  • This is assuming that apple won't launch iphone on all networks. As long as apple keeps the iphone on one network, they will continue to fall. However, if they implement the iphone on all networks, I am sure iOS will surpass android. Half of us at this website would have an iphone, I bet.
  • Maybe if apple had done that before android got huge. But now that it has, I bet there are a lot of people (far more than half) that wouldn't switch at this point.
  • +1 I used to think the iPhone was the best until the D1 came out. Now with the X, I don't even care for the iPhone anymore, although it's still a great phone. I just want my phone to get official Froyo, Gingerbread, and maybe even Honeycomb and I'm set. If Apple wants me to consider an iPhone over an Android, they'll need to release an iPhone on Verizon with a 4"-4.3" screen, 4G radio, LED light, and Google Navigator compatibility.
  • Excellent point, and I did think about this throughout the day. People have now become loyal to Android. Enough so that they are not willing to switch to even an iPhone. For me, personally, I love Android functionality A LOT, but I am a webOS fanatic at heart. I currently have an Evo, but only because Palm did not release a new device fast enough. That's beside the point. I still think that at least 20-25% of people would switch immediately. I work selling phones, and I can tell you first hand that there are millions of people out there that have a Droid only because they can't have an iPhone since it's on ATT's network.
  • That's absolutely false. I dare you to make a poll at AC that asks how many would switch from Android if the iPhone came to Verizon or Sprint, etc. The membership here typically already owns an Android device and is enthusiastic enough to become a member of a forum and/or get additional support. The poster directly above me is also correct. Outside of the front camera (which my iPhone 4 toting acquaintances don't even use, by the way) they all wish they had the ability to customize, widget and Mobile Hotspot their way to an Android device. Several colleagues gave their iPhone4 to their teenage daughters and got a Droid on Verizon. What people don't realize is that the Android platform is still in its infancy. By this time next year, the vast majority of prospective iPhone5 customers will first think about whether they should buy a (now mainstream) Android device instead.
  • I am going to post that. I really do think that the polls here would be biased towards android, of course. But I still wonder what people will mention about this.
  • If Iphone came to Sprint I wouldn't by one.
  • I have no desire for an iPhone no matter what network...
  • Give up my Samsung Epic for an Apple iPhone on the sprint network? That only happens in nightmares for me.
  • Too bad the world is gonna end in 2012.