According to a report by Juniper Research, the number of smartphones shipped with open source operating systems will increase from 106 million this year to 223 million by 2014.
The report found that operating systems and applications are playing an increasingly important role in the differentiation of new smartphones and a key factor in the consumer’s choice of handset.
With more than 60 percent of the OS market now based on open-source and a sizeable pool of software design talent out there, the report concludes open source OS represents an opportunity for innovation.
However, the key is not whether the OS is open source but whether it’s easy for a developer to design an application and make money from that effort. The combined changes of Apple’s open route to the market and LiMo, Open Handset Alliance (OHA) and Symbian’s open-source OS approaches have generated a huge business around mobile applications.
The open source research report comes on the heels of T-Mobile’s pre-order launch of the myTouch 3G. The open source Android-based myTouch 3G is the successor to T-Mobile's first Android smartphone, the G1. Additionally, rumors have been swirling that Motorola plans to launch Android-based phones on both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile's networks. Also rumored is an Android phone for AT&T, possibly from HTC.