Linux to claw lion’s share of mobile Internet

The Mobile Internet Devices (MID) market will likely be the first real 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, according to a new survey by ABI Research.

In the new Mobile Linux report the analyst predicts that the Linux OS— in the form of Moblin, LiMo and Maemo—will wrest control of the majority of the MID market, accounting for unit volumes of 50 millions units per annum in 2013.

Explained ABI Research vice president and research director Stuart Carlaw,  “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, customisation and very positive cost comparison to Windows Mobile looks set to ensure that Linux takes the leading role in this market.”

ABI believes that 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. It regards the concept of a single OS that covers MIDs, smartphones and mid-tier devices as being very attractive but cautions that only LiMo and potentially Moblin hold the possibility of achieving this ambition.