The worldwide smartphone market is expected to grow by 49.2 percent in 2011, according to a report from IDC. Smartphone vendors are expected to ship more than 450 million handsets in 2011, up from an estimated 303.4 million in 2010. As a result, the smartphone market will grow more than four times faster than the overall mobile phone market.
Android is expected to take over as the leading smartphone operating system in 2011 after moving into the number 2 position in 2010, IDC said. The market researcher estimates a 39.5 percent share for Android next year, followed by Nokia's Symbian with 20.9 percent, Apple with 15.7 percent and Research In Motion with 14.9 percent. Thanks to Nokia's planned adoption of Windows, the Microsoft system is expected to go from 5.5 percent in 2011 to 20.9 percent, or second place in the market, in 2015.
