• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, September 7, 2010

Technology research firm IDC projects the worldwide smartphone market will grow 55.4% this year, with nearly 270 million devices shipped compared to 173 million in 2009. IDC also expects Android to edge out Apple's iOS as the third most pervasive mobile operating system in 2010, with a 16.3% share to Apple's 14.7%.

The surge in smartphone sales will help the overall mobile market rebound this year with a 14.1% gain after a decline of 2.8% in 2009. The outlook for 2011 is also bullish. Despite continued economic uncertainty, smartphone sales are expected to increase 24.5% next year.  Growth, however, will tail off progressively over the course of IDC's five-year forecast, with the market predicted to rise only 13.6% in 2014.