Moblin to Ship the Lion’s Share of Linux Mobile Internet Device Operating Systems

LONDON - September 23, 2008

The Mobile Internet Device (MID) market is shaping up as a very promising greenfield opportunity for mobile operating system vendors to find new outlets for their products. Linux will be an important part of this market from the start and will be championed by solutions such as Moblin and Maemo. ABI Research expects that by 2013, 86 million Linux-enabled MID products will ship per annum, with Moblin taking 42% of the market.

According to vice president Stuart Carlaw, “Although custom-designed solutions such as Moblin and Maemo will take large shares in the Mobile Internet Device market, there will also be opportunities for LiMo as well as PC-based Linux OSs.”

He goes on to say, “The essential message here is that there is room for multiple success stories. One of the chief reasons for the projected growth of Moblin is that the tight alignment between hardware and software will be an incredibly important factor in this market. Moblin’s market share will be tightly aligned to the share of the market that Intel’s Atom solution gains.”

A new Research Brief from ABI Research has found that when it comes to MIDs, Linux will not be the only game in town but will face stiff competition from Windows, in the form of Vista, XP and also CE-based solutions.

“Open Source Operating Systems in Mobile Internet Devices” explores the operating system landscape that will characterize the MID market. It assesses a number of OS offerings, including Moblin, Maemo, and LiMo, as well as the organizations that stand behind them.

This Brief is a component two of the firm’s Research Services, Mobile Devices, and MIDs and Mobile CE, which also include other Research Briefs, full-length Research Reports, Market Data, an Online Database, ABI Insights, ABI Vendor Matrices, and analyst inquiry support.

ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with their strategic growth initiatives. For information, visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.