Symbian Rules the Market and Android take 2nd place on 2011

A new set of projections from research firm Gartner has reinforced the prediction that Android is heading to the top of the smartphone market, largely at the expense of Blackberry and Symbian. The research suggests that Android will overtake Blackberry by the end of this year, however, that lead will grow and by 2011 Android NO.2 will have a commanding lead over RIM. Symbian is predicted to remain in the NO.1 spot through to 2014, but the projections say that Android will be a whisker behind them. iOS market share drops a few points in the projections, but it manages to retain the number three spot ahead of Blackberry, which falls to fourth position in the smartphone stakes. Perhaps the most interesting prediction concerns Windows Phones 7, which Gartner are projecting to essentially be a non-event, steadily declining into obscurity.