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Intel’s Mobilin and Nokia’s Maemo, two Linux-based mobile operating systems, will be merged into one platform. Intel and Nokia said the MeeGo platform will extend beyond smartphones and will be flexible enough to scale to larger devices like full-fledged computers or in-car systems.
The first devices running MeeGo, including a new phone from Nokia, are expected to arrive later in 2010.
Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone maker, launched Symbian OS 10 years ago. It established the market for smart phones and helped propel Nokia to its market dominance. More than 330 million cell phones running Symbian OS have been produced by a number of makers, including Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, Sharp, Fujitsu, and Huawei. The Symbian OS ended 2009 with a 48% global market share for smart phones, says ABI Research. That’s down from 63% in 2007, the year that saw the iPhone launch.
“Symbian has a huge installed base, but a prevailing issue is that the user interface is not good,” said William Stofega, an analyst at research firm IDC. “If Nokia is going to stick with Symbian, as they have said, (the operating system) has to be revitalized.”
Apple’s iPhone held onto a 13.7% share of global smartphone unit sales in Q2 2009, outpacing Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, which now claims just 9% of the market, according to Canalys.
Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors. The results of their research can be summarized as follows:
1. Nokia maintains global lead, although its performance varies by region
2. Touchscreens become the preferred interface, representing 40% of all shipments
3. Apple’s success continues, as the iPhone takes 23% of the North American market
4. RIM continues to gain share, succeeding with its push into the consumer market
5. Operating system choices are proliferating, primarily at Microsoft’s expense
“Apple has revolutionized the smart phone sector, leapfrogging more experienced rivals,” Canalys senior analyst Pete Cunningham said in the company’s report. Sales in the second quarter did not include much of the surge in new sales spurred by the release of the iPhone 3GS.
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