Analysts Say Android Will Rank Second in Smartphone Marketshare by 2012

We're not the only ones who think that Android is about to take off. Analysts at Gartner forecast that our favorite OS, Android, will rank second in worldwide smartphone market share by 2012 (behind Nokia). They estimate that 14% of the global smartphone marketshare will be Android devices--higher than Blackberry, higher than Windows Mobile, and even higher than the iPhone.

Gartner cites multiple reasons for Android's impending success but points mainly to Google. Android will succeed, "because of Google Inc.'s backing of Android and the range of cloud computing functions and related applications that Google will make available in coming years". They expect Android to run on nearly 40 different handsets by 2012.

We're glad that people are finally noticing Android and believe in its potential. But Android in 2009 currently sits 6th in worldwide marketshare with only 2% of smartphones running Android. It's a long climb to the top but we definitely believe that Android can make it--the OS has shown a great balance between offering third-party applications and maintaining high usability--you can have it your way.

We can't wait to meet all you future Android users.

 [via computerworld]