14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s mobile operating system has been under a continuous change for the past few years, and it is finally starting to regain some of the market share it has been losing to Android, iOS and other mobile platforms out there, analysts report.
Windows Phone, the successor of Windows Mobile, is shaping up as a modern, highly competitive platform capable of becoming one of the three leading mobile OSes in the world in the coming years.
In fact, it appears that it has already managed to make the first steps in this direction, and that it is now the third most popular mobile platform in 8 key markets around the world.
Kantar WorldPanel, an internationally renowned company formerly known as TNSWorld panel, is reporting that Windows Phone has started to gain momentum and that it is leaving Research In Motion’s BlackBerry operating system behind.
At the moment, the platform is officially the third largest mobile OS in the United States in terms of sales, as well as in other leading markets, such as UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Brazil.
The operating system has a 4.8 percent market share at the moment, compared to BlackBerry’s 3.8 percent or Symbian’s 3.2 percent. Last year, Windows Phone had a market share of 3.5 percent, the company states.
Of course, Google’s Android operating system is still the uncontested leader on the mobile OS market in these countries, and it appears set to remain that way for a long time. Apple’s iOS is currently the second most popular mobile platform.
Soon, Windows Phone might receive a boost in sales with the launch of Windows Phone 8, the most advanced flavor of the OS to date, finally capable of competing directly with Android.
Windows Phone 8 devices are expected to arrive on shelves from various handset vendors out there, including Nokia and Samsung, which have already unveiled their smartphones, as well as HTC, Acer, LG, ZTE and others.