Google's Android operating system will muscle past rivals Apple and Microsoft, dominating future devices to power everything from tablet computers and smartphones to touchscreen refrigerators, according to a poll of developers published on Monday.
The survey by research firm IDC and software company Appcelerator found that 72 percent of developers said Android "is best positioned to power a large number and variety of connected devices in the future," while only 25 percent said Apple's iOS will rule the new device world.
The survey tapped some 2,400 developers of applications from around the world. They acknowledged Apple's current domination of the mobile computing market, with 76 percent saying that iOS represents the best current moneymaking opportunities, versus just 19 percent for Android.
Because developers make the third-party applications or programmes that leverage mobile devices, their support is crucial in determining the long-term success of an operating system.
Their conviction that Google's open-source Android will dominate over Apple's tightly controlled iOS could become a self-fulfilling prophecy that will mimic Windows' domination of the MacOS on personal computers, analysts said.
A recent report predicted that Android would leapfrog Apple's iOS in the smartphone market by the end of the year, and its open source code will make it the market leader in many other devices such as internet televisions, video conferencing systems and autos, noted Appcelerator executive Scott Schwarzhoff.