Android is on course to break one billion users across all devices this year, up 26 percent on 2013, according to a report from research firm Gartner.
The Google-owned platform passed one billion activations in September, but Gartner says it will surpass the milestone based on active device owners over the next 12 months. A dominant 75 percent of users are expected to come from emerging markets, where Android is the platform of choice for manufacturers producing budget smartphones and tablets.
Overall, Gartner says industry-wide mobile phone shipments will reach 1.9 billion shipments this year, a five percent increase on 2013. ‘Ultramobiles’ — a segment comprised of tablets, hybrids and clamshells — are expected to grow the fastest of all devices, at a rate of 54 percent year-on-year, the firm says.
Looking at tablets separately, Gartner says shipments will grow 47 percent year-on-year spurred by lower retail prices and the increasing popularity of smaller-sized tablets — although it hasn’t broken out specific figures for the tablet space.
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“Complimentary smaller tablets will take over from the larger tablet form factors, providing the added mobility that consumers desire at a lower cost and will compete with hybrids for consumer attention,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.
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