Total sales of Android-based devices are on pace to reach 1.1 billion by end-2014, according to Gartner.
The research firm estimates that Android's total installed base across all platforms will reach 1.9 billion units this year. If true, this beats the estimated 1.25 billion Windows PCs in operation today.
Total device shipments – including PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones - are due to grow 7.6% this year to 2.5 billion units. But this projection obscures the changing dynamics of the device market.
Garner research director Ranjt Atwal said the device market is very much still evolving. “Mobile phones are a must have and will continue to grow but at a slower pace, with opportunities moving away from the top-end premium devices to mid-end basic products,” he said.
“Meanwhile users continue to move away from the traditional PC... while the greater flexibility of tablets, hybrids and lighter notebooks address users' increasingly different demands.”
The research firm expects the tablet market to grow 47% this year to 263.4 million units.
The projected 1.1 billion shipments of Android devices for 2014 compares to a predicted 359.8 million for Windows-based platforms and 344.3 million for iOS and MacOS combined.