By the end of the year, the installed base of Android portable devices, including smart phones and tablets, will reach 140 million, according to a new forecast from IMS Research.
Two factors will help to propel the growth: the recent unveiling of Google’s Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS for tablets and enhancements to the Android Market website, according to the market intelligence firm.
“This provides an exciting opportunity for pay-TV operators, which have traditionally been tethered to the living room, to expand the reach of their brands to multiple portable platforms with apps development,” says Anna Hunt, principal analyst and author of the IMS Research’s “Convergence in Home Entertainment” report.
“In total, Apple OS and Android OS were present in nearly 125 million connected devices shipped in 2010, and this is only expected to increase in 2011,” she said. This level of use means more operators will be developing apps to let subscribers purchase, buy and consume content on new portable platforms and use new convergence applications, such as those controlling on-demand service on the TV set via a smart phone, she added.