According to the statistics released by IDC on Wednesday, the smartphone arena is largely dominated by Apple and Android-based devices, which together account for a nearly 85 percent share of the worldwide smartphone market.

While the Apple devices include the company's popular iPhone, the devices running Google's Android operating system include a wide array of handsets manufactured by the likes of Samsung, HTC, Motorola Mobility - which has now been acquired by Google - and a number of other companies.

Despite the fact that recent reports for market research firms have revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S III handset dethroned the Apple iPhone as the best-selling smartphone in August, the IDC projections reveal that Apple will apparently bounce back to the top-notch position with the forthcoming launch of its next-generation iPhone.

Going by the IDC projections, the release of the new iPhone - the sixth-generation handset from Apple - will likely give a notable boost to the company's smartphone-market share during the holiday season this year.

Meanwhile, Samsung will also apparently go all out to retain the top spot with its Galaxy S III handset by releasing the eagerly-anticipated Android OS update to it, bringing aboard the latest Android version - Android 4.1 `Jelly Bean.'

Though Samsung has disclosed that the European version of the Galaxy S III handset will receive the Android 4.1 update next month, it is being widely speculated that the other users of the smartphone might receive the update just in time for the holidays!