Led by the success of Google’s Android and upcoming Chrome operating systems (OSs), Linux-enabled mobile devices will comprise 62% of the OSs shipping in all non-smart-phone mobile devices by 2015, according to a new study by ABI Research.

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“The number of Linux-oriented initiatives recently seen in the mobile industry indicates that Linux will be a key technology in the next generation of netbooks, media tablets, and other mobile devices,” says ABI Research senior analyst Victoria Fodale.

Despite the growing number of Linux distributions in the mobile market, Linux has a unified base of upstream components, most notably the Linux kernel, says Fodale.

Multiple application ecosystems provided by Android and Chrome, Intel’s and Nokia’s MeeGo, and Palm’s webOS ride on top of the unified Linux components. With this model, companies can share the cost of research and development yet differentiate their offerings in the marketplace.

The ABI Research study, “Linux for Mobile Devices,” examines key market issues in the Linux ecosystem as well as the technology drivers in the mobile device segment. It does not cover smart phones, which are examined in the company’s “Mobile Linux” report. Both are included in ABI’s Smartphones & Mobile Devices Research Service.

“Linux for Mobile Devices” highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each mobile Linux platform, including architecture, development, applications, and governance models. Detailed regional forecasts of shipments by each Linux-enabled platform are included as well.

ABI Research