14 DAY TRIAL // The latest batch of statistics provided by Kantar confirm what we already knew: Windows phones are dead and we’re quickly moving to a two-OS world belonging to Android and iOS.
Kantar says that Windows phones no longer have the power to support a third widely-adopted operating system and the declining share brings it closer to BlackBerry, rather than to leaders Android and iOS.
“Gone are the days when a BlackBerry OS, Symbian, or Windows Mobile could make a significant impact. It is clear that there will only be two smartphone ecosystems moving forward - iOS and Android. To succeed, phone manufacturers will have to play by those rulebooks,” Kantar says.
The Windows phone decline
In terms of the sales share in the 3-month period ending January, Windows phones have once again lost points in all big markets.
In Germany, Windows dropped to 2.9 percent, while in the United Kingdom and France the decline was even bigger, and Microsoft’s mobile platform was only powering 1.9 percent and 2.8 percent of the phones sold there in the aforementioned period. Windows phones also lost 2.8 percent of the potential buyers in Italy to reach 4.4 percent share, while in Spain it collapsed to 0.4 percent.
In the United States, which is Microsoft’s home market, Windows phones obtained a share of 1.3 percent, while in China it dropped to a painful 0.1 percent.
Microsoft isn’t doing better in Australia either, as it’s now holding a 1 percent sales share in the country. The only market where Windows phones actually improved, and this is quite fascinating, is Japan, where the platform jumped from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent.
It goes without saying that Windows phones are expected to continue declining in most markets, especially because nothing has changed in the last 12 months, and with Microsoft remaining tight-lipped on its mobile vision, it’s hard to believe that too many users and developers can find a good reason to stick with the platform.
