Google gives away the operating system for free and the hardware can be easily commoditized by manufacturers. Mr. Softy treading water Gartner projects Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will continue to pick up market share from smaller rivals as the industry consolidates to three operating systems. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)'s market share, as a portion of global device shipments, is projected to grow from 15% to 20% by 2017. There's some evidence this is occurring already. Earlier this week, Kantar Worldpanel announced Windows had taken third place in the U.S. smartphone industry based on February sales data. The platform also made noticeable gains in Britain, Australia, and Italy.