IDC Sees Windows Phone Grabbing Share From iOS, Android

Despite its slow start, Windows Phone should still be able to grab a significant share of the smartphone market in the coming years, at least according to the crystal ball over at IDC.

The market researcher said on Wednesday that it expects Windows Phone to be the No. 2 mobile operating system by 2016, with 19 percent of the global smartphone market, up from just over 5 percent for 2012. However, that assumption assumes that Nokia can maintain its strong presence in emerging markets. Android is seen dropping from 61 percent share this year to just below 53 percent by 2016 ,while iOS is seen as relatively steady with just more than 20 percent of the market this year, and just below that level in 2016. BlackBerry is seen continuing its decline, while Symbian’s fall off the smartphone map should be complete by 2014.