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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Windows Phone 8 continues to rapidly gain market share

With the recent reports of smartphone market share beginning to pour in, Kantar Worldpanel data reports tremendous growth year over year (YoY) for Windows Phone 8.  From last April until this April, Windows Phone has increased it's footprint by nearly 50%.  It has reached nearly 7% market penetration on Verizon and this is without the highly lauded Lumia 928, which just recently became available.

Even more surprising is the numbers coming over from Europe.  Windows Phone 8 has exceeded 10% market share in Italy and is fast approaching that number in the Great Britain market.  Only Android has consistently outpaced Windows in growth.  As you look at the percentages, Android's gains are relatively small compared to Windows.  iOS percentage continues to decline in half of the markets.

Blackberry has lost share in all the markets.  Even with the new launch of BB10, their shares continue to erode.  I anticipate that Blackberry will be gone within the next 12-24 months.  Unless they find a way to maintain profitability with their government contracts, it looks like this market is quickly becoming a trio-poly. 

If you follow the Windows go to market strategy even further, Nokia and Microsoft have been pushing out lower end devices at really bargain prices.  Most people don't know this: Android's market dominance has more to do with the low end, rental phones and cheap phones than the $640 Samsung Galaxy 3 and 4.

As people's 2 year contacts continue to expire, more and more people will jump ship and pick up a new Windows Phone.  And after seeing some of the leaked shots of iOS 7, I expect that update will greatly disappoint many Apple fanboys, while Android is still struggling to get past it's anemic updates to Jelly Bean. 

Couple that with the newly released 928 on Verizon and the stunning 925 on T-Mobile, Microsoft's shares will continue to climb and take over the #2 spot in many more markets in the coming months and years.