iSuppli: Windows Phone on pace to eclipse Apple's iOS in 2015

Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone mobile operating system is on track to claim the No. 2 spot in worldwide smartphone market share by 2015, far behind Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android but edging past Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS, according to a new forecast issued by IHS iSuppli Market Research.

Windows Phone will increase from 1.9 percent of smartphone shipments in 2011 to 9.0 percent by the end of 2012, iSuppli notes, adding that the operating system will power 16.7 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2015. The firm credits Windows Phone's anticipated growth to Microsoft's partnership with Nokia (NYSE:NOK), which has embraced Windows Phone as its primary smartphone operating system moving forward. iSuppli expects Nokia will account for 50 percent of all Windows Phone devices sold in 2012.

"One of the hottest new products unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show was the Lumia 900, a Windows Phone-based smartphone sporting a flashy set of features that makes it competitive with the best alternatives offered by the Android camp," said IHS senior analyst for wireless communications Wayne Lam in a statement. "This hot product represents Nokia's first step to reclaim its market share. Combined with Nokia's efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone ecosystem, the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in smartphone operating system market share in 2015."

Android is expected to dominate the competition in the years ahead, accounting for 58.1 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2015, up from 47.4 percent a year ago. iOS will remain relatively steady, slipping from 18.0 percent in 2011 to 16.6 percent in 2015. Rival operating systems--including Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry--will fight for the remaining scraps of the market, representing just 8.6 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2015.

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