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Windows Phone Actually Gaining Market Share In Some Countries

Posted by Unknown on from the some-countries-still-have-idiots dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes "Last week, research firm IDC issued a report suggesting that Windows Phone shipments exceeded those of the iPhone in seven countries around the world, including Argentina, India, Poland, and Russia. The data startled some people — Daring Fireball's John Gruber, for example, blogged his skepticism. As the story gained a bit more momentum, The New York Times' Nick Wingfield reached out to IDC analyst Kevin Restivo for a bit more clarification: 'IDC's numbers also reflect only the official number of cellphones imported into the countries,' he wrote. 'Mr. Restivo said that in some countries, like Argentina, high government taxes mean there is a very significant gray market in cellphones, which IDC doesn't track.' Now new survey data from Kantar Worldpanel uggests that Windows Phone is indeed gaining some sort of momentum in some parts of the world: Android was responsible for 51.2 percent of smartphone sales in the U.S. for the quarter ended February 2013, followed in second by Apple's iOS with 43.5 percent, with Windows Phone edging up into third place with 4.1 percent. BlackBerry trailed in fourth with 0.7 percent, down significantly from its 3.6 percent market-share last year. That doesn't mean that Windows Phone will prove any sort of champion in the near term, but maybe the platform isn't totally on life support."

71 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. rot-13 version by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We don't normally read the OP or the articles, so rot-13 doesn't seem to slow down our comments.

  2. Windows Phone Gaining Momentum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is easily the best April Fools joke of the day.

    1. Re:Windows Phone Gaining Momentum by stenvar · · Score: 2

      Says who?

    2. Re:Windows Phone Gaining Momentum by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      I prefered the one where Microsoft said they were dropping Metro and going back to the Start Menu on Windows 9.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  3. DMCA take down notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not only did you just violate copyright, you circumvented a copy protection mechanism. And released information on how to perform this circumvention!

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    1. Re:DMCA take down notice by shentino · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately since we the users do not possess the ability to delete or edit our posts, we do not qualify as the responsible service provider for the purposes of the DMCA.

      Please kindly direct your notice to slashdot's legal department for action.

  4. Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone? by glrotate · · Score: 1, Funny

    Am I the only one that's just waiting for MS to get nailed in some sort of accounting scandal and that we find out that millions of Windows Mobile Phones are sitting in a warehouse somewhere?

  5. Re:/jumping/the/shark by mkiwi · · Score: 2

    At least OMG PONIES!!! was colorful...

  6. Slow Burn by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's unlikely either iOS or Windows Phone will ever attain android levels of adoption--however, I remember working on Android marketing for the first couple years and sales were pretty sad then too. Maybe it's because Windows Phone finally has Chase, United and official pandora apps but it feels like it might have finally hit the app threshold to be taken seriously in the last few weeks.

    Seeing as BB10 has all of Android's apps it might be able to leapfrog Windows Phone's "lost year" but now they're back where WP was at the beginning of last year. So even if they are a year ahead of where Windows Phone *was* they'll still be behind (just like Windows Phone is behind Android).

    Regardless of whether or not Windows Phone is a success--it was a necessary effort on MS' fault. It laid the groundwork for all of their Windows strategy. If nothing else it is functioning well as a large R&D effort to make Windows 9 a run-anywhere OS. Windows 8 is already slowly displacing Windows phone. W8 is the kernel, W8 is driving the app framework now... undoubtedly by W9 both the phone and PC will be the same OS through and through.

    In the long run the question will be whether or not a Tablet/Phone OS (android) can scale up to handle PC duties better than a PC OS (Windows) can scale down to handle phone duties. Windows Phone 8 as a proof of concept has already proven it's possible. But we don't have a desktop android to compare it to. But like I said, one way or another a single OS is the direction everything is headed. And if Microsoft didn't invest in Windows Phone, windows would ultimately die. Market share in the mobile phone device is IMO secondary to this goal. Meanwhile Apple still has to go through this painful transition at some point in the future.

    1. Re:Slow Burn by fredgiblet · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Indeed. I've said before and I'll say again, I think MS is finally ahead of the curve. It's possible they're too far ahead, changing things too fast, but I expect that in 5-10 years Google and Apple will both have converged their Operating Systems as well and the idea of a computer without a tablet-oriented default interface will be considered silly.

      MS needs to release a docking station for the Surface that lets it act like a desktop, of course they'd prefer to keep people buying both as long as possible.

    2. Re:Slow Burn by rsmith-mac · · Score: 1

      MS needs to release a docking station for the Surface that lets it act like a desktop, of course they'd prefer to keep people buying both as long as possible.

      I'm not sure why a docking station would be necessary. All there is to plugin is a keyboard, a mouse, and a display. Even Thunderbolt would only reduce this by 2 cables. Or you can add a touch/type cover and it becomes a de-facto laptop.

    3. Re:Slow Burn by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If Ubuntu is ahead of the curve, I'll follow a straight line instead.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    4. Re:Slow Burn by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      So you're saying I'm a dumb follower for choosing my own direction and not going with the crowd?

      Any other sage observations you'd like to share with us, or are you quite done with embarrassing yourself now?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    5. Re:Slow Burn by fredgiblet · · Score: 1

      If the keyboard port at the bottom has the bandwidth (and Microsoft stated they planned to release more accessories for it) then it could be just a snap-in setup with no cords needed at all. That's what I would do with that port at least.

    6. Re:Slow Burn by fredgiblet · · Score: 1

      I only briefly glanced at Ubuntu once the new UI hit. It's not really an either-or thing though, if the Ubuntu UI is converged as well that just means they're both ahead of the curve (the curve in this case is the consumer expectations).

    7. Re:Slow Burn by fredgiblet · · Score: 1

      They are ahead on convergence of UI, which your post says nothing about. My post said nothing about hardware.

    8. Re:Slow Burn by strikethree · · Score: 2

      Indeed. I've said before and I'll say again, I think MS is finally ahead of the curve.

      I have been wrong before but I am going to go out on a limb here (I would bet my life savings on it) and say that Microsoft is not even *in* the game. Sure, they are trying to be in it but they are not even really a competitor. They have absolutely no focus on the user/purchaser of their products. All of the their products are designed around Microsoft's needs, not the purchaser's needs; therefore, they will ALWAYS be a failure in all markets that they do not have a monopoly in (and will eventually lose their monopoly in the desktop operating system market).

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    9. Re:Slow Burn by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      WP7/8 isn't gaining because of OS. It's gaining in countries where Nokia is extremely popular and people don't ask for a "windows phone". They ask for a "nokia phone". That is why nokia sells most of the windows phones.

      And as nokia makes nothing but windows phones for anything other then low end, people end up with windows phones. And from experiences I've had talking to such people, it's likely going to be their last nokia for many.

    10. Re:Slow Burn by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Since convergence of UI is one of the stupidest ideas for computers to get any serious backing lately, I don't think it's an advantage for Microsoft to be ahead of the curve on it. There are, in fact, differences between how one interacts with a large screen with keyboard and mouse as opposed to. a small touch screen. Next up: Visual ++Basic#Lisp.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    11. Re:Slow Burn by bryan1945 · · Score: 1

      Here we go again...
      The network is the machine is now the Cloud.
      Touchscreen is now touchscreen, some how improved.
      Smartphones replacing full systems is now tablets replacing full systems.
      Having a dock is replace by not having a dock, which will be replaced by having a dock.
      and on and on...

      --
      Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
  7. 2013 by abednegoyulo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Year of the Windows Phone!

  8. I know that it's April 1st by ModernGeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know that it's April 1st, but can we make these articles at least a LITTLE believable? That's the whole point in getting the "... gotcha!" at the end.

    --
    Sig: I stole this sig.
    1. Re:I know that it's April 1st by TheCRAIGGERS · · Score: 1

      Crafting an article that is believable yet false is easy.

      Creating one that is hilarious is far harder, and in my opinion, more welcome. I get enough lies in the regular news on the other 364 days of the year.

  9. What countries? by Qubit · · Score: 1

    Nokiastan...and where else?

    --

    coding is life /* the rest is */
  10. well by smash · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ... it's not going to LOSE market share is it? You can't really lose much from 1%

    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    1. Re:well by jd2112 · · Score: 1

      ... it's not going to LOSE market share is it? You can't really lose much from 1%

      Check with Blackberry on that one.

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    2. Re:well by Missing.Matter · · Score: 2

      Rtfa. Windows phone has as much as 13% in Italy, 6.7% in the U.K., and 6.8% in Germany. It's doing much better in Europe than the US.

    3. Re:well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Is that maybe just because they still buy Nokia phones in Europe?

    4. Re:well by jbernardo · · Score: 2

      In Belgium, Luxembourg and Portugal I've only seen another windows phone in the wild (outside of MS seminars). The owner was happy with it, as the Nokia hardware is still good. However, he used it only for phone calls and quick emails.

      In these three countries the phone distribution is very different - Luxembourg I can see a lot of Galaxy S3 and Note, Belgium is mostly 50/50 between older Apple and Samsung/HTC, Portugal is more ZTE and some Samsung.

      My Lumia is only being used as a second phone - it works to receive phone calls for a second SIM, but that is it. The crappy interface (impossible to see notifications unless the tile is in view, among other idiotic limitations), incomplete bluetooth, lack of configurability completely killed it for me. Well, the person who gave it to me won't give me another one, that is for sure.

      Btw, was I the only one to notice that Kantar has changed its "data" since landing a nice contract with Microsoft? As for the IDC statement that WP is outselling iOS in 7 countries, more damning are all the other countries where it is outsould by Bada, BB, etc. If even selling phones below cost (lower price lumias are being sold at a loss, only compensated by the money Microsoft injects in Nokia) doesn't allow "winning" more than 7 markets, things are really bad. And when you take into account that both IDC and Kantar are only showing number for officially shipped phones, and don't include "grey" imports, and that in some of these markets (Poland, Argentina, etc.) the iPhones aren't even on sale, then this looks as another failed attempt to fake interest in WP, by the same marketing companies that have been telling us that WP8 phones are selling out, the same that told us that WP7 phones had sold out...

    5. Re:well by cbope · · Score: 1

      I live in Helsinki, and there are a fair amount of Nokias along with Samsung and Apple here. Recent numbers show Nokia gaining market share in Europe as others have commented. I can attest to that in my experience.

      I've had my Lumia 820 for about 6 weeks now, and it's a really good handset so far. Apart from a few apps that are not available yet, it's a very solid platform. The only app I am really missing at the moment is Dropbox... but then Skydrive works great on WP8 and is at least as good as Dropbox in my opinion (and with better pricing for storage). There are regular app and OS updates to fix minor annoyances, unlike Apple where you wait a lot longer for OS-level fixes (I also heavily use an iPad, not talking out of my ass here). Note, I only started using my Lumia starting from the Portico update which fixed a lot of the launch issues in WP8. The only semi-issue is lack of a centralized notification system like iOS has (and presumably Android... sorry I don't own any Android devices). But Apple survived for several years without one and I expect it will be rolled out to WP8 via a future update.

      I have no problem recommending Lumias or WP8, in fact I just did this morning to one of our engineers. I can't really think of a single show-stopper, it just works. And it has a removable battery and expandable storage via a MicroSDXC slot.

    6. Re:well by cbope · · Score: 1

      Care to explain what "lack of configurability" means?

      I find quite the opposite, coming from iOS devices. WP8 is far more configurable, the start screen in particular. You can move and resize the tiles any way you want. Don't want a tile but don't want to uninstall? Fine, you can do that, just un-pin the tile, you can still launch the app from the app screen. In iOS, you must have all your icons on the home screen(s) at all times, and you have to "page" between multiple home screens to see all your stuff. Even if you group apps in folders by function, you can rarely fit them all in one home screen.

      Your point about the centralized notifications is correct, but it's not a show stopper for me. Apple even survived without it for several years. I expect it will come with an update to WP8.

      It just sounds like you are looking for excuses to bash WP8...

    7. Re:well by jbernardo · · Score: 2

      Care to explain what "lack of configurability" means?

      Well, if you look at what WP is copying (android's widgets) you'll see what I mean by lack of configurability. Only three sizes, long "toilet paper" list with no way to add side screens, etc. I can see how it is more configurable for you if you're coming from iOS, but even iOS now can create folders, allowing you to organize your apps as you want. WP doesn't know what that is, you only have two views, either the tiles, or the alphabetical list. It might work if you have only a few apps, but when you pass the 100 is completely unmanageable. And I have over 200 on my Android, which I use regularly.

      As for notifications, you're right, Apple only recently copied them from Android. But Apple has fanatical followers and it has allowed them to sell a less "feature rich" phone at a premium price- Microsoft I'd bet has more haters than followers, and apparently has trouble selling WP even at barrel scraping prices.

    8. Re:well by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Unless you were actually looking over someone's shoulder, and it wasn't obviously an iPhone, how would you know that their phone wasn't a Windows phone?

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  11. Re:Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone by Miamicanes · · Score: 5, Interesting

    > millions of Windows Mobile Phones are sitting in a warehouse somewhere?

    or reflashed to Android. Don't laugh. The Htc Touch HD ended up being one of the best Android phones, ever... and firmly convinced most of Microsoft's remaining mobile developer ecosystem to say "Fuck Microsoft" after their flagship phone with 16 months left on-contract was cruelly & prematurely EOL'ed for the crime of having 4 hardkeys instead of 3. Yes, read that again. It had 4, and some tool @ Microsoft decided to officially shun it because Windows Phone devices were required to have exactly 3 buttons.

  12. A nut is still occasionally encountered... by rmdingler · · Score: 1

    ... by a myopic tree-dwelling rodent with a bushy tail.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

  13. Re:Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Imagine if Apple accidentally released a product featuring one additional buttons.

  14. Is there a point to any of this? by gelfling · · Score: 1

    Or is it just 04/01?

  15. Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by aphelion_rock · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nokia made big inroads into the cell-phone market because their products were easy to use. Microsoft teamed up with Nokia with the view of entering the marked with a Microsoft powered device. This is the result.

    Speaking to the people who own a Windows phone, they are very happy with it. People are familiar with Windows and Nokia's reputation for useability has probably paid dividends.

    Not all of the users of cell-phones are the younger generation who easily adapt to a complicated device.

    1. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by tokencode · · Score: 1

      Personally, I really like my WP8 device... A month ago I dumped my Galaxy S for Nokia WP8 and have been very happy so far.

    2. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by FoolishOwl · · Score: 2

      Windows phones are no simpler than iPhones or Android phones.

    3. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by sd4f · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've done the same thing, had a SGS1, which was software wise, an abortion of a phone, as it didn't work well (probably due to carrier related fw) so i moved up to a nokia L920. WP8 still has a lot of catching up to do, software wise, however the the lumia hardware is excellent.

    4. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      I've done the same thing, had a SGS1, which was software wise, an abortion of a phone, as it didn't work well (probably due to carrier related fw) so i moved up to a nokia L920. WP8 still has a lot of catching up to do, software wise, however the the lumia hardware is excellent.

      I've done the same thing, I had a SG-1, which was hardware wise, like leaping through a giant wet ass, as it didn't work well (probably due to ancient outdated hardware design), and was plagued by outtages... I mean, the damn thing had ROTARY DIALING, and the numbers weren't even in Arabic! So I moved up to SG Atlantis. I have lots of catching up to do, Wraith-wise, however the software effects are excellent.

    5. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by strikethree · · Score: 2

      Not all of the users of cell-phones are the younger generation who easily adapt to a complicated device.

      WTF are you saying? That Microsoft's phone operating system product is easier to use than Android or IOS? Perhaps if you dig deep enough into Android's internals, it could be considered "complicated"... but IOS? Complicated?

      Your view is demented or distorted if you believe what it appears that you are saying.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    6. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Must have been carrier firmware because I had an SGS1 too and it was a fantastic phone. Fast, reliable, nice hardware and minimal changes from stock Android. My friend has it now and is still loving it.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by TheNinjaroach · · Score: 2

      Speaking to the people who own a Windows phone, they are very happy with it.

      Our "Desktop OS" guy absolutely, positively wants to see Windows succeed. It's his bread and butter.

      He wants to see Windows 8 succeed so bad that he traded in his iPhone 5 for a high-end Windows Mobile. He sugar coats almost everything he says about Windows... but the phone? He says, "The phone just doesn't get it."

      --
      I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
    8. Re:Maybe you are ignoring the real reason ? by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      But the phone has essentially an identical user interface to Windows 8... Or was that vice versa?

  16. Best April 1 prank by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 2

    Was it done by Steve Balmer or done to Steve Balmer? That is the question.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  17. Not In Those Countries by RudyHartmann · · Score: 1

    If it was gaining in Botswana, Outer Mongolia or Paraguay it might have been believable. Nah.

    --
    Oh, yeah! Wise guy, huh? Woob woob woob woob! Nyuk! Nyuk!
    1. Re:Not In Those Countries by 21mhz · · Score: 1

      Yeah, "let's ignore India and Russia as insignificant markets" would sound so clever in any business meeting.

      --
      My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
  18. Re:Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

    Actually, yes.

    About a week ago, I was riding an elevator with someone who was using a Windows Phone. I was tempted to ask him about it...

  19. Re:hacked by GeoBain · · Score: 1

    (Check your calendar)

  20. This was real by Frankie70 · · Score: 2

    I had done a submission a week back - http://slashdot.org/submission/2570591/idc-predicts-windows-phone-to-be-the-fastest-growing-platform

    Overall, IDC says Windows Phone and Windows Mobile devices accounted for six percent of the 227 million smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2012. For the year, Windows Phone made up 2.6 percent, however, the analyst firm is predicting Windows Phone to be the fastest growing platform between now to 2016 with a compound annual growth rate of 71.3 percent. IDC expects Windows Phone to account for 11.4 percent of smartphone shipments by 2016, largely off the back of declining Android market share.

    Windows Phone handsets have outsold the iPhone in seven markets including India, analyst firm IDC has revealed, and beat out BlackBerry in 26. Some of the countries where Windows Phone pipped the iOS handset in Q4 2012 were Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the Ukraine.

    1. Re:This was real by gmack · · Score: 2

      IDC is also the company that predicted that the Itanium would be a huge success so I would take any prediction of theirs with a grain of salt.

    2. Re:This was real by japa · · Score: 2

      IDC's forecast on windows phones for 2012 was only %238 off. Ref: Tomi Ahonen consulting

    3. Re:This was real by invictusvoid · · Score: 1

      No body has the money to buy the iPhone in India .. and then to buy the cable , stickers , cover , logo , smile , yawn , apps , updates etc from apple ..

    4. Re:This was real by dooode · · Score: 1

      Unlike US where you pay $200 for an Iphone and then $80+ per month for next for 24 months to indirectly pay for the phone costs, cellphone service providers are not allowed to club their plans with the cellphone costs --- which is really good.

      The cost of data plan could be as cheap as $2 per month in India, and cellphone service as low as 2 cents per minute (now even cheaper).

      It makes no sense for Indians to buy a $800 iPhone then.

  21. Re:Best april fools story so far by OakDragon · · Score: 1

    This... this has not been Slashdot's best day.

    --
    Dark Reflection
  22. Re:Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It will require a major OS update, since neither OSX nor iOS are currently capable of handling the plural of "button" without segfaulting.

  23. Those are Manufactures not OS by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

    I live in Europe, and I've yet to see a single Windows Phone here. In Stockholm, the big 3 seem to be iPhone, Samsung, HTC.

    And some Nokias, but nearly as many as you'd think, given that the company's home base is next door in Finland.

    Samsung and HTC both make windows phones. They are simply not as popular as there android equivalents.

    1. Re:Those are Manufactures not OS by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      ...the fuck?

      Gee, I guess I hurt some poor widdle fanbois feelingses because I dared suggest that Windows isn't actually Everywhere?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  24. I'm Batman by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

    3 phones against several dozen, less than 10% apart in sales. No they'll never quite be 'android levels of adoption'... are you Tupe666 in disguise?

    Ironically in the sense of this article Apple have *one* phone so its not an excuse [Although they desperately need an iphone nano/mini]. HTC are having difficulty competing right now, and one of the reasons was too many models not enough differentiation.

  25. Ignoring the rather dubious maths. by tuppe666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's funny how people are quick to make fun of Windows Phone. It's like they don't realize that Windows Phone has market share that is 3-4 times larger than desktop Linux's market share.

    Its not funny, its depressing. Linux occupys about 75% of the phone market compared to Microsoft 2.6% [Less if we count incompatible OS] at the cost of Nokia/Microsoft represent market shares of 25%/10% highs before their merger [self mutilation].

    It shows how well Linux shines compared to Microsoft when Microsoft it unable to use its Oppressive Microsoft Monopoly [or simply by being one] can successfully restrict competition. When you see Microsoft complaining [and throwing Billions at the problem] it can't get market share by not being able to access first party Google apps; not getting carriers to sell its product. Its kind or ironic. The fact that its not a good product just an aside

    Linux on the Desktop continues to grow, nobody is noticing, because the Desktop is not sexy right now, both to the shame of Apple and Microsoft, but funny never...I feel for those Nokia employees, that have been sacrificed for this White Elephant.

    1. Re:Ignoring the rather dubious maths. by Xest · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "It shows how well Linux shines compared to Microsoft when Microsoft it unable to use its Oppressive Microsoft Monopoly [or simply by being one] can successfully restrict competition."

      It's funny you used to say this, I used to work local government here in the UK quite some years back and the head of IT there was as corrupt as they come* in signing up a massive multi-million pound deal with Microsoft for their software assurance programme. They didn't even evaluate FOSS at the time precisely because it was such a whitewash of a deal - the only contender they bothered to evaluate was Microsoft, so no wonder they won the bid - it's kind of easy when the person deciding on the bid wont let anyone else put a bid forward.

      Fast forward to today and I'm told by an old friend who still works there that they're getting rid of all their Blackberries after all this time and are replacing them with... Windows Phones. That means a few thousand windows phone sales right there.

      This is just one of 468 councils in the UK. Multiply this sort of backhander deal across all of the councils where there is trivially corruptible IT management, multiply it across the world and it's no surprise Windows Phone is gaining market share.

      *I know this for a fact, because I was working in a conference hall that had a stage with curtains prior to a conference and was fixing some broken network points behind the curtains when he wasn't aware I was there. I heard him talking to the Microsoft sales rep about everything from how they both fiddle their expenses to how they were looking forward to getting the deal signed before it had even gone out to tender.

  26. I'm sure it's by invictusvoid · · Score: 1

    I'm sure its gaining market share in the US .. around the Redmond area .. I recently had the fortune of evaluating a friends windows phone .. and as soon as I started using it I knew it was Micro$oft . I doubt any other product / service has such a strong identity ..

  27. Wow you got all the buzzwords in. by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

    "Ecosystem" *tick* *Developer tools+.net" *tick* "Reader and iGoogle" *tick* "open source...no driver support" *tick*.

    Spread your propaganda in other peoples posts, rather than waste my time.

    1. Re:Wow you got all the buzzwords in. by aztracker1 · · Score: 1

      Wtf propaganda are you talking about? I pretty much said all the options suck.

      --
      Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info
  28. Re:Best april fools story so far by Buchenskjoll · · Score: 1

    It's April 2nd here, you insensitive clod!

    --
    -- Make America hate again!
  29. Re:Has anyone actually seen a Windows Mobile phone by synapse7 · · Score: 1

    Got you beat, I've seen two!

  30. ROT-13 SUX. BIG TIME!! by slidedaddy · · Score: 1

    ROT-13 SUX. BIG TIME!!! Where is my SlashDOT?

    1. Re:ROT-13 SUX. BIG TIME!! by real-modo · · Score: 1

      ggg?G

      There.

  31. Re:ROT-221 by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 1

    Don't have one myself but know a few people who do they almost all like them the only person who didn't probably wouldn't like most mobile phones any way (Still complains they don't have dials). Personally I'll stick with my Droid.

    --

    Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.