At the start of MWC 2014 in Barcelona today Microsoft announced that the TrustedReviews Recommended Nokia 520 had outsold all Android phones in the UK over the busy Christmas period of December.
Jim Belfiore, VP Operating Systems, explained “In particular the Nokia Lumia 520 phone has done well, particularly in developing markets which are very price sensitive”. “The Nokia 520 was the 3rd biggest selling phone in December in the UK”.
Aside from the success of the Nokia 520 in the UK Belfiore went on to talk of the swift growth of Windows Phone in 2013. Windows Phone grew by 91% year on year making it the fastest growing mobile OS with a higher than 10% share in 6 countries. It is also the number two OS in 9 markets and has managed more shipments than the iPhone in 10 countries. He did not elaborate on which exact countries these are, however it was clear that it was the emerging markets that the highest growth occurred.
The Middle East and Africa grew the most with a year on year increase of 758%. There was strong growth in the Latin American and Asian markets too, while Europe saw more modest growth. “Much of the growth has been at the lower end of the market” said Belfiore, with lower-end phones like the Nokia 520. On the other hand “the US market is a tough market for us” with just 10% growth year on year.
While there was a little tittering when a Microsoft video was played which boasted that Windows Phone 8 had overtaken Blackberry to become the number 3 mobile operating system on the market there is some clear momentum gathering with its mobile OS. In addition Microsoft announced a slew of partnerships with dozens of manufacturers and OEMs including several new to the Windows Phone fold such as Foxconn and LG.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.