A new report by ZDNet by Informa Telecoms and Media has found it probable that handsets that run on the open source operating system, Google Android, will outsell the Apple iPhone by 2012.

The iPhone, which is currently dominating the market, is expected to get pushed aside when more Android powered handsets hit the market.

O2 has shifted one million iPhones since the device launched last summer, while T-Mobile UK, the exclusive carrier of the first (and currently only available) Android phone, said the G1 now makes up 20% of its contract sales.

Meanwhile, both the Android and iPhone OS are encroaching on the sales of Symbian smartphones, which include Nokia handsets. Though Symbian remains the top-selling OS, less than half of the smartphones sold in 2008 ran on Symbian, compared to 65% the year before.

Informa said that open source platforms were key to growth, because they mean more apps for users, and cost-cutting for manufacturers.

And with the second Android phone, the HTC Magic, landing in April, and most manufacturers having announced at least one handset running on the OS, perhaps the iPhone’s throne is shorter-lived than they imagine.

Operating system, Phones