comScore data shows WP has an 11 percent share

Aug 4, 2015 21:32 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is working to become more relevant in the mobile business with a new plan that cuts down the number of devices running Windows Phone, but in the meantime, the company's smartphone operating system keeps going strong in a number of markets.

Although it still has a long way to compete with rivals Android and iOS, Windows Phone is performing remarkably well in Europe, where it keeps gaining ground despite all the problems that have impacted the platform in the last 12 months or so.

ComScore data that was brought to our attention by Italian website Plaffo (via WMPU) reveals that, in the local market, Windows Phone has a market share of 11 percent, which means that Microsoft's mobile operating system has the exact same share as one year ago.

Getting closer to iOS

While maintaining the same market share is quite an important achievement, given the fact that Redmond has focused mostly on budget models and mid-range devices lately, the really good news is that Windows Phone is still close to iOS, Apple's mobile platform, which continues to be the second mobile OS in Italy with a share of 17 percent (also unchanged versus May 2014).

Just as expected, Android is the number one platform in Italy with a share of 67 percent, up 7 percent from the year before, so it's pretty clear that Windows Phone's next goal is to compete against iOS and only then go after Android.

Europe has always been a much friendlier market for Windows Phone as compared to the United States, where both iOS and Android are selling extremely well, but Microsoft hopes to tackle this with the arrival of Windows 10 Mobile and new devices supposed to address the key market categories, including flagships.

Windows 10 Mobile is projected to arrive in September or October, so we're not very far from the moment when Microsoft will once again attempt to overhaul its mobile efforts.