正如大家所看到的，经济形势的不乐观使得各行各业都开始勒紧裤腰带，无线通信行业也是一样。来自IMS市场调研机构的报告显示，手持设备OEM厂商和移动网络运营商也打算更多地采用基于Linux的操作系统来减少开支，从而达到灵活经营，不能在一棵树上吊死。
基于Linux的手持设备操作系统在市场上出现也有好几年了，但是增长速度也只都低于人们的预期，直到现在才有所改变。最近很多家通信业界的大公司纷纷表示，要采用基于Linux的手持设备操作系统，比如摩托罗拉、沃达丰、华为和HTC。而且他们的这些基于Linux操作系统的手持设备即将面世。不光如此，依照IMS市场调研机构的报告显示，更大规模的OEM厂商和运营商对手持设备Linux操作系统的软件支持也将出现。
手持设备Linux操作系统市场的发展是有多方面因素决定的。IMS市场调研机构的市场分析员Chris Schreck提出了如下几点：
1、成本原因，经济不景气，压缩成本的不得已的选择
2、各个linux手持设备联盟之间的互相整合和相关标准的制定，也为手持设备linux操作系统的流行扫除了障碍。这样可以更好的整合各个开源社区的开发者资源，加速手持设备Linux操作系统的开发进度。
3、基于Linux手持设备市场的用户会越来越多，无论从用户角度还是开发者角度，手持设备Linux操作系统的开发者社区将会非常膨大，同样目前大家看到的澎湃发展的手持设备第三方软件市场，利益非常可观，比如Apple iphone和Google android的在线网上商店。而这些业务的繁荣没有开放的用户和开发者平台是不可想象的，Linux满足了这一切的要求。
IMS市场研究机构的预测显示，到2013年，Linux将占到智能手机的操作系统市场的30%左右。随着经济下滑的严重，唯有Linux这根稻草可抓，OEM厂商和网络运营商没有理由不去选择。
Economic Slowdown Accelerates Linux Growth in Mobile Handsets
With deteriorating global economic conditions making their impact felt in the wireless industry, handset OEMs and mobile network operators are looking to Linux-based operating systems to cut costs and diversify their handset portfolios, reports IMS Research.
While Linux-based operating systems have had a presence in the mobile handset market for years, growth has been slow and steady until recently. However, recent announcements from Motorola, Vodafone, HTC, and Huawei, among others, all stating that Linux-based operating systems will figure in to their upcoming handset releases, clearly demonstrate that OEMs and operators are ready to embrace Linux software on a larger scale, according to IMS Research.
“There are multiple factors driving the growth of the market for Linux in mobile handsets,” said IMS Research analyst Chris Schreck. “In the current economy, the need to manage costs has pushed OEMs and operators toward the potential licensing and royalty savings available with Linux.
At the same time, consolidation in the Linux market and work by standards groups like the LiMo Foundation, Open Mobile Terminal Platform, the Open Handset Alliance, and the Open Mobile Alliance have gone a long way to remove the fragmentation that had hindered market growth, Schrek said. “The end result is a mobile market driven to Linux to save on development costs and a Linux developer community more capable of meeting that demand than ever before.”
IMS Research believes that the Linux mobile developer community will grow, as Linux solutions increase their presence in the marketplace. The emergence of successful alternative distribution channels for mobile handset applications has provided a powerful incentive for third-party developers, and consequently, they will play an increasingly important role in the mobile handset market. As OEMs and operators fight to associate their handset with the latest and greatest applications, they will need to consider the broader development community’s preference for open-source platforms, like Linux. Those in the Linux market are hoping that this initial surge in mobile handsets featuring Linux-based operating systems is only the beginning of a much larger snowball effect.
In the smartphone market alone, IMS Research expects Linux-based operating systems to penetrate more than 30% of the market by 2013. According to IMS Research, as mobile handset shipments continue to fall victim to the gloomy economic climate, it is likely that OEMs and network operators will continue to look to Linux, bypassing the traditional licensing model, and cutting development costs in the process.
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