Today the Symbian OS used mainly on Nokia phones dominated the smartphone operating system global market, Blackberry maker RIM holds the second spot, with Apple coming in third. However, an IDC report published today announces that the Android OS is expected to storm its way to the near top of the smartphone market, while growing at a faster rate than all its competition.

According to IDC, Android is poised to knock out Research in Motion as the No. 2 OS provider globally and tip Apple from its 2nd place perch in the US. IDC analyst Stephen Drake says that “”Mobile operating systems have become the key ingredient in the highly competitive mobile device market. Although the overall look and feel of the device will still play an important role in the buying process, the wrong choice of operating system coupled with an awkward user interface can mean the difference between success and failure”.

IDC also predicts that Android is expected to experience faster growth than any of its rivals, leaping from 2008 shipments of 690,000 to 68 million units by 2013. That’s really something to shake a huge stick at.