Mobile OS Landscape Outlook: Fragmented For The Forseeable Future

By Eric Klein, VDC Research Group

Looking back at the evolution of the personal computer may offer clues to the future trajectory for mobile handheld computing. Since the introduction of the IBM PC 5150 in 1981, we've witnessed the nonstop entry and exit of a broad range of companies, each contributing its own form of advancement and earning its place in the history of the modern personal computer market. Innovation has occurred in every conceivable element of the modern day PC — we are still in the nascent stages of this evolution in the mobile handheld computing market, with the path forward likely revealing an unpredictable and fragmented landscape.