Gartner: Global Android equipment shipments exceed 1.1 billion this year

A Tuesday report by Gartner, a market research firm, said the total number of smartphones and tablets shipped to the global Android operating system will exceed 1.1 billion this year. Gartner said in its report that Android devices made by Samsung Electronics, HTC, Sony and other manufacturers are expected to reach 1.1 billion this year, up 26% from 2013, driven by strong demand from emerging markets. Gartner also noted that the total volume of equipment shipped this year with Apple iOS and Mac OS operating systems will be 344 million, up 28% from 2013. "There is no doubt that the comparison between Android and iOS devices is equivalent to a comparison between quantity and value," Annette Zimmerman, Gartner analyst Annette Zimmerman, said in a statement. Android users prefer low-cost devices to Apple device users. "In addition, the number of devices carrying Microsoft's Windows operating system will be 360 million units in 2014, up from 328 million in 2013." Windows currently dominates the market for PC and notebook operating systems. The global PC and laptop shipments have fallen, affected by the growing popularity of tablet computers and smartphones. Gartner expects global Tablet PCs to grow by 47% this year to 263 million. Langit Atwal Ranjit Atwal, Gartner Research director, said, "because PCs are increasingly becoming tools for sharing content authoring, and the increasing flexibility of tablets and the combination of this lightweight laptop solution to the needs of different users, users continue to leave the traditional PC." Atwal also said that global smartphone sales will continue to grow this year, but that growth will slow, with emphasis shifting from high-end devices to midrange products. Gartner also predicts that total shipments of all equipment worldwide will reach 2.48 billion this year, up 7.6% from 2013.