Interesting new info from Gartner, with some major implications. For clients thinking about mobile launches, I think this means the focus may shift to cross-device compatible mobile websites, iOS apps, and importantly, Android Apps. When considering a global client, Nokia may be a consideration, but those platforms under considerations should be restricted to the Windows Phone platform, recently adopted by Nokia. Simbian, RIM are lagging.

Gartner: Android grabbing over 38 percent of smartphone market in 2011 on Symbian’s demise
“Egham, UK, April 7, 2011- Worldwide smartphone sales will reach 468 million units in 2011, a 57.7 percent increase from 2010, according to Gartner Inc. By the end of 2011, Android will move to become the most popular operating system (OS) worldwide and will build on its strength to account for 49 percent of the smartphone market by 2012 (see Table 1).
Sales of open OS* devices will account for 26 percent of all mobile handset device sales in 2011, and are expected to surpass the 1 billion mark by 2015, when they will account for 47 percent of the total mobile device market.”

Thanks Jeff Couturier of 10Volt Media for this related snippet: Jeffrey Zeldman on the State of Web Design

“Magazine publishers are rushing to do stuff in a proprietary iPad-only format. Then redo it for Android. Of course, they could do it for everything at once if they wish to. It’s a really interesting time. My friends Roger Black and Filipe Fortes have started Treesaver, which is an open source JavaScript framework for basically creating magazine formats automatically using web standards. They work in iPad, iPhone, and Android and everywhere. Same as the web standards idea. Don’t make the same thing five different ways. If you have extra money, spend it on content. Spend it on photography. Spend it on better design. “