CNET

Android devices will wend their way to more than 1 billion people in 2014, research firm Gartner predicted on Tuesday.

The 1.1 billion shipments would render Android far and away the leader among all PC, tablet, and mobile phone operating systems. Windows was tagged for second place with 359 million shipments, followed by Apple's iOS and Mac OS with 344 million shipments forecasted this year.

Android is also on its way to 2 billion total installed devices, according to Gartner, thanks in part to its more budget-friendly choices versus the pricier options Apple offers.

"There is no doubt that there is a volume versus value equation, with Android users also purchasing lower-cost devices compared to Apple users," Gartner analyst Annette Zimmerman said in a statement. "Android holds the largest number of installed-base devices, with 1.9 billion in use in 2014, compared with 682 million iOS/Mac OS installed-base devices."

Shipments of BlackBerry OS devices will sink from 24 million in 2013 to 15 million this year, Gartner said, while those of Chrome OS devices will surge to 4.7 million, up from 1.8 million last year.

Gartner

Mobile phones will top all other devices, logging a predicted 1.9 billion shipments this year. Tablet shipments will rise to 263 million and ultramobile shipments (hybrid and clamshell devices) will jump to 39 million, up from 17 million last year. Shipments of desktop and notebook PCs will continue to drop, according to Gartner, sinking from almost 300 million in 2013 to 277 million this year.

Total shipments of PCs, tablets, mobile phones, and ultramobile devices are forecasted to hit 2.5 billion in 2014, a 7.7 percent gain from 2013.