Google's Android to Pass iPhone Worldwide by 2012: iSuppli (GOOG, AAPL)

Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android software, its mobile operating system, will outpace Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone in number of phones in use worldwide by 2012, according to researcher iSuppli Corp.

Android will be on 75 million smartphones in the next two years, giving the platform almost a fifth of the global market for the devices, iSuppli forecast in a note today. The company estimated the iPhone’s software will be used on 62 million phones.

“Google and Apple are engaged in a fierce battle for control of the wireless market, which represents the most lucrative growth opportunity in the technology world today,” iSuppli said. “Both companies have their eyes on the huge revenue growth expected in wireless data.”

Shares of Google are slightly higher Thursday, to $506.74. Apple stock is lower today, to $261.96.