Google is expected to prevail in a key battleground for its wireless war with., as the smart phone market share of the Android Operating System (OS) rises to surpass that of the iPhone’s iOS in 2012, iSuppli Corp. (http://www.isuppli.com) predicts.

Android will be used in 75 million smart phones by 2012, up from five million in 2009, forecasts the research group. Meanwhile, iOS usage will amount to 62 million in 2012, up from 25 million in 2009.

This will give Android a 19.4% of the global market for smart phone OSes in 2012, up from 2.7% in 2009, according to iSuppli. Apple’s iOS for the iPhone will see its share rise to 15.9% in 2012, up from 13.8% in 2009. In 2014, Android’s share of global smart phone OS usage will rise to 22.8%, while iOS will decline to 15.3 %, predicts the research group.

"Android is taking the smart phone market by storm," says Tina Teng, senior analyst, wireless communications, for iSuppli. “The OS started with entry level models in 2008, but the flexibility Android offers for hardware designs and its appealing business model in terms of revenue sharing have attracted vigorous support from all nodes in the value chain, including makers of high-end smart phone models. Cell phone original equipment manufacturers representing all tiers of the industry have committed to support Android, including Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Huawei, AsusTek and ZTE. This broad industry support will allow the Android OS’s usage and market share to exceed that of its chief rival, iOS, in 2012, just five years after its introduction.”

While Apple’s family of iPhone products continues to be the standard by which all other smart phones are measured, the proprietary nature of the iOS and Apple’s closed system business model will limit the number of smart phones with the operating system, she adds.