Microsoft has almost trebled its share of the UK smartphone market in the past 12 months thanks to Windows Phone 8, data collected by research firm Kantar Worldpanel Comtech has revealed.
Although still lagging significantly behind market leaders Android and iOS, latest figures have revealed Microsoft increased its share of the UK smartphone market almost three-fold in teh past 12 months, up from 2.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent, closing on on current third place holder RIM in the process.
With a 6.4 per cent share of the market, RIM and its BlackBerry OS could soon be eclipsed by the fast rising Microsoft OS which offers handsets such as the HTC Windows Phones 8X, unless the BlackBerry 10 release changes consumer opinion.
Meanwhile the battle between Android and iOS rages way above the single digit market shares of RIM and Microsoft, with Android holding the largest portion of the market at 54.5 per cent and iOS falling in behind at 32.4 per cent.
“At the end of 2012 the global OS picture shows Android on top, but clearly the rate of growth it experienced over the past year is beginning to slow as easy wins from first time smartphone buyers begin to reduce,” said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel Comtech.
“It has been far slower than Microsoft would have liked, but Windows Phone is now starting to gain respectable shares in a number of key European countries,” Sunnebo added.
The research from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech also revealed that Apple is closing in on rival Samsung, which holds 32 and 35 per cent of the smartphone market respectively. This time last year, Samsung’s lead over Apple was far greater, which could show that the Apple iPhone 5 has sold better than rumours suggest.
Apple’s quarterly earnings are due to be announced tomorrow.
Would do you like about the Windows Phone OS? Do you think there are things that Android and iOS platforms could learn from Microsoft’s OS? Give us your opinions on our Facebook and Twitter pages, or use the comment boxes below.
Via: The Inquirer
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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.
