The conventional wisdom now is that Android is going to be among the top-three smart phone operating systems globally, over the next several years. Most would expect Apple’s iOS to be among the three, and the issue is whether Research in Motion or Microsoft will wind up in spot three.
But not everyone agrees with that conventional wisdom. Pyramid Research, for example, expects Windows to emerge as the top operating system by about 2013.
“While we acknowledge the momentum that Android is experiencing and will continue to experience in 2011 and 2012, we believe that Nokia and Microsoft are a very powerful tandem, and that will show in its full force by the end of 2013,” says Stela Bokun, Pyramid senior analyst.
In large part, that forecast hinges on lower prices for Windows-powered devices, based on Nokia’s prodigious volume.
Lower price of the devices will be the crucial prerequisite for dramatically-higher sales of Windows smart phones.
Apart from Nokia, quite a few other large handsets vendors in the world, such as Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are still placing their bets on WP. Android’s scale advantage should be leveled by Nokia, says Bokun.
