Android vs. iOS Market Share 3Q 2012 Forecast: Android Leads Smartphone Mobile Operating System Race - IDC Report

Although Apple has one top smartphones in the industry, its operating system appears to be lagging behind, according to a new report by IDC.

According to the report, Android is expected be the clear leader in the smartphone mobile operating system race largely because of a broad selection of devices from a wide range of partners.

"Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is a constantly shifting mobile operating system landscape," Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team, said. "Android is expected to stay in front, but we also expect it to be the biggest target for competing operating systems to grab market share."

According to IDC, Samsung is the leading Android smartphone seller, but LG Electronics and Sony should not be overlooked as both cracked the top five smartphone vendors during 3Q12.

Apple's iOS is expected to hold strong at No. 2 and end 202 with 18.8 percent of the marketshare, with a growth of 0.3 percent by 2016.

"The popularity of the iPhone across multiple markets will drive steady replacements and additional carrier partners will help Apple grow iOS volume," the report said. "However, the high price point of the iPhone relative to other smartphones will make it cost prohibitive for some users within many emerging markets. In order to maintain current growth rates, Apple will need to examine the possibility of offering less expensive models, similar to its iPod line. Until that happens, IDC forecasts iOS to ship lower volumes than Android."

Blackberry OS, Windows Phone and Linux round out the top five operating systems - owning about 9 percent of the market share.

"Windows Phone stands to gain the most market share as its smartphone and carrier partners have gained valuable experience in selling the differentiated experience Windows Phone has to offer," the report said. "What bears close observation is how BlackBerry's new platform, BlackBerry 10, and multiple versions of Linux will affect the market once the devices running these systems are available."