The latest Gartner figures are out and, for Microsoft, they’re probably best ignored. Less than 3 million Windows Phones sold worldwide for a Q4 1.9% market share, down from last year’s Q4 of 3.4%. Windows Phone,market share is still lower than the Bada OS. Although this was to be expected to some extent, Gartner also points out some problems for Microsoft’s big partner – Nokia..
Nokia’s weakened brand status posed challenges that were hard to overcome in just one quarter. However, Nokia proved its ability to execute and deliver on time with its new Lumia 710 and 800 handsets. Nokia will have to continue to offer aggressive prices to encourage communications service providers (CSPs) to add its products to portfolios currently dominated by Android-based devices.
Total worldwide smartphone sales were up to 149 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a massive 47.3% jump. There were record sales of the iPhone, with Samsung selling extremely well with a near 20% share. This, if nothing else, shows why Apple and Samsung are so keen to trade lawsuits recently. Other manufacturers, including Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola, appear to show disappointing results due to competitors like Huawei and ZTE eating away at the low / mid-range smartphone market.
Link – Gartner