No matter your point of view on the truthiness of Analyst predictions on smartphone market share in the future, they do have a part to play in the marketing of a device. In many cases they provide a safety net to consumers when they pick up on headlines that say Platform A is on the up, Platform B is matching Platform C, and Platform D is appreciated by more than 70% of bee-keepers. So the news that iSuppli are joining Gartner and IDC in predicting Windows Phone to overtake iOS in the next few years is welcome, albeit with a question mark in our heads.

Largely based on Nokia’s strong support, Windows Phone is set to regain the No. 2 rank in the smartphone operating system in 2015. Finnish-based Nokia in 2009 lost its second-place worldwide ranking because of rising competition from Google Inc.’s Android and Apple Inc.’s iOS.

I'm sure with a bit of work we can find an Analyst that will contradict these finding, that will show windows Phone will be on a tiny percentage, Android on 80% and iOS still claiming 16% of the market and the lion's share of any smartphone media coverage.

But the impact of these numbers is not felt in 2015, it's felt here and now in 2012. It gives the impression that Windows Phone is "the hot new thing" and it's going to be around for a long time and in significant numbers. That gives confidence to consumers, who'll pick up on the general feelgood nature of stories like this, if not the exact numbers. Saying that Windows Phone will be the thing to have in 2015 makes it a safe and fashionable choice in 2012.