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Windows Phone Actually Gaining Market Share In Some Countries

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."

9 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.

  3. 2013 by abednegoyulo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Year of the Windows Phone!

  4. 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.
  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.
  8. 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.