The year of Android may not be far off, according to industry experts. Analysts at Informa have predicted that, by 2012, Google's Android operating system will have overtaken Apple's iPhone in terms of unit sales. It took three months for the first ever Android-driven phone, the HTC G1, to sell one million units.

 The iPhone 3G took three days. However, Android's performance was still impressive overall, and sales mimicked the arrival of Apple's first iPhone, which also took three months to reach a million. Now that Android is picking up speed, it is likely that its sales will only increase. As the Apple brand allows its iPhone OS only to be used on the company's own phones - of which there are so far two - Google already has the upper hand.

The second device running Android, another offering by HTC - the Magic - will be released soon. If last month's Mobile World Congress is anything to go by, the Magic will be followed by a plethora of mobile phones boasting the software. It seems that every mobile manufacturer wants a piece of Google.

Last month's event saw firms like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson pledging to release their own Android phones - which is bound to produce a sharp increase in the number of options for users wanting a Google phone rather than Apple's limited selection.

However, it's also likely that Apple will continue to work on and improve its operating system and mobile devices, releasing better handsets with powerful cameras, larger memory capacity and at better prices in order to compete.