Android Outpaces Windows Mobile Globally, Nips at iPhone's Heels

From DailyTech: The smartphone world is changing and it's changing fast. Companies that were big performers for years are now seeing their profits and market share slide precipitously. Among the companies are Microsoft and Palm.

Palm was recently purchased by HP and Microsoft is seeing the market share of its Windows Mobile offerings plummet as phone makers migrate to open platforms like Android. Android devices are burning up the global market and in the U.S., Android has now outpaced the iPhone in market share for Q1 2010.

The global market for smartphones is very similar reports Reuters. Android was the fourth most popular operating system sold globally in Q1 2010 according to Gartner. That puts Android's global reach ahead of Microsoft's mobile OS and Android is gaining on the iPhone quickly on the global market.

As the Android OS grows in popularity, more and more developers are working on apps for the OS. Chris Moore from Redpoint Ventures said, "I am quite impressed by the traction the Android ecosystem is getting." He goes on to say, "I want to say that on the current trajectory, they (Android) will pass the iPhone platform, or at least reach parity by the end of this year or middle of next year."

The most pressure is definitely being put on Microsoft in the global smartphone market. The company is the only one who charges handset makers a licensing fee for its smartphone OS. More and more companies that traditionally built Windows Mobile devices are looking to Android as a free and more popular alternative.

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