Apple, which launched its first iPhone barely three years ago, has already become the third largest smartphone maker worldwide, according to an IDC ranking of the top five mobile device companies.

Apple ranked third in terms of market share in smartphones for the fourth quarter of 2009 and the entire year, behind Nokia and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

The numbers should be no surprise to smartphone enthusiasts. Apple's iPhone has become an iconic product as it has set the standard for elegant hardware design and the distribution of third-party software applications through the App Store. Much of Apple's gains has come at the expense of smaller smartphone makers, clubbed in the "others" category. These include Palm, Samsung and companies such as Sharp and Fujitsu, says IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.

Surprising as it may seem to have Nokia as the market leader on the list–its smartphones are unloved in North America–the company continues to hold on to consumers elsewhere. "Nokia's shift to bring more touchscreen-enabled smartphones to market began to pay off, as its 5800, N97, N97 mini, and 5530 models drove both revenue and profits," says IDC in its statement.

Motorola returned to the top-five mobile phone makers list during the fourth quarter, after a year-long hiatus, says IDC. Last year, Motorola launched a slew of Android-powered devices including the Cliq on T-Mobile and Droid at Verizon Wireless. Combined sales of both the phones crossed two million since their debut.

Overall, 54.5 million handsets were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 39 percent from the same quarter a year ago. During the year, mobile phone makers shipped 174.2 million handsets.

As for operating systems, IDC says to watch for what Symbian and Windows Mobile do this year.

"2009 was the coming-out party for Google's Android and Palm's webOS," says Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC. "More advances are in store for 2010 as Symbian and Windows are expected to unveil new versions of their respective operating systems."

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