經濟下滑加速移動手持設備市場Linux份額
正如大家所看到的，經濟形勢的不樂觀使得各行各業都開始勒緊褲腰帶，無線通信行業也是一樣。來自IMS市場調研機構的報告顯示，手持設備OEM廠商和移動網絡運營商也打算更多地采用基于Linux的操作系統來減少開支，從而達到靈活經營，不能在一棵樹上吊死。
基于Linux的手持設備操作系統在市場上出現也有好幾年了，但是增長速度也只都低于人們的預期，直到現在才有所改變。最近很多家通信業界的大公司紛紛表示，要采用基于Linux的手持設備操作系統，比如摩托羅拉、沃達豐、華為和HTC。而且他們的這些基于Linux操作系統的手持設備即將面世。不光如此，依照IMS市場調研機構的報告顯示，更大規模的OEM廠商和運營商對手持設備Linux操作系統的軟件支持也將出現。
手持設備Linux操作系統市場的發展是有多方面因素決定的。IMS市場調研機構的市場分析員Chris Schreck提出了如下幾點：
1、成本原因，經濟不景氣，壓縮成本的不得已的選擇
2、各個linux手持設備聯盟之間的互相整合和相關標準的制定，也為手持設備linux操作系統的流行掃除了障礙。這樣可以更好的整合各個開源社區的開發者資源，加速手持設備Linux操作系統的開發進度。
3、基于Linux手持設備市場的用戶會越來越多，無論從用戶角度還是開發者角度，手持設備Linux操作系統的開發者社區將會非常膨大，同樣目前大家看到的澎湃發展的手持設備第三方軟件市場，利益非常可觀，比如Apple iphone和Google android的在線網上商店。而這些業務的繁榮沒有開放的用戶和開發者平臺是不可想象的，Linux滿足了這一切的要求。
IMS市場研究機構的預測顯示，到2013年，Linux將占到智能手機的操作系統市場的30%左右。隨著經濟下滑的嚴重，唯有Linux這根稻草可抓，OEM廠商和網絡運營商沒有理由不去選擇。
Economic Slowdown Accelerates Linux Growth in Mobile Handsets
With deteriorating global economic conditions making their impact felt in the wireless industry, handset OEMs and mobile network operators are looking to Linux-based operating systems to cut costs and diversify their handset portfolios, reports IMS Research.
While Linux-based operating systems have had a presence in the mobile handset market for years, growth has been slow and steady until recently. However, recent announcements from Motorola, Vodafone, HTC, and Huawei, among others, all stating that Linux-based operating systems will figure in to their upcoming handset releases, clearly demonstrate that OEMs and operators are ready to embrace Linux software on a larger scale, according to IMS Research.
“There are multiple factors driving the growth of the market for Linux in mobile handsets,” said IMS Research analyst Chris Schreck. “In the current economy, the need to manage costs has pushed OEMs and operators toward the potential licensing and royalty savings available with Linux.
At the same time, consolidation in the Linux market and work by standards groups like the LiMo Foundation, Open Mobile Terminal Platform, the Open Handset Alliance, and the Open Mobile Alliance have gone a long way to remove the fragmentation that had hindered market growth, Schrek said. “The end result is a mobile market driven to Linux to save on development costs and a Linux developer community more capable of meeting that demand than ever before.”
IMS Research believes that the Linux mobile developer community will grow, as Linux solutions increase their presence in the marketplace. The emergence of successful alternative distribution channels for mobile handset applications has provided a powerful incentive for third-party developers, and consequently, they will play an increasingly important role in the mobile handset market. As OEMs and operators fight to associate their handset with the latest and greatest applications, they will need to consider the broader development community’s preference for open-source platforms, like Linux. Those in the Linux market are hoping that this initial surge in mobile handsets featuring Linux-based operating systems is only the beginning of a much larger snowball effect.
In the smartphone market alone, IMS Research expects Linux-based operating systems to penetrate more than 30% of the market by 2013. According to IMS Research, as mobile handset shipments continue to fall victim to the gloomy economic climate, it is likely that OEMs and network operators will continue to look to Linux, bypassing the traditional licensing model, and cutting development costs in the process.
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