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Topic: Mobility

Windows Phone jumps 277% in a year to take 3.2% of smartphone market share

Summary: The latest quarterly figures from Canalys shows that Windows Phone is indeed gaining market share, despite the nearly constant slamming by smartphone critics. Units are selling well and Windows Phone 8 is likely to ignite a fire under the platform in late 2012.

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

I continue to use a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone device on AT&T and still believe the platform will get to at least the number three spot soon. According to the latest smartphone data from Canalys, Windows Phone jumped nearly 2% in the last year and has 3.2% of the global market share. This is only 2.2% away from BlackBerry and third place, so with Windows Phone 8 launching later this year it is possible that Windows Phone will move in behind iOS in 2013.

Windows Phone jumps 277% in a year to take 3.2% of smartphone market share

The 1.9% rise to 3.2% over the last year is a 277.3% growth from Q2 2011 to Q2 2012. Android also saw a huge rise of 110.4% from 47.6% of the market share to a huge lead of 68.1%. iOS is at 16.4%, BlackBerry is at 5.4% and Symbian is at 4.1%. In regards to manufacturers, Samsung leads the way with 31%, followed by Apple, Nokia, HTC, and RIM. With a strong London Olympics sponsorship of the Galaxy S III, I am sure we will see Samsung continue to dominate in this market.

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Topics: Mobility, Microsoft, Smartphones

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134 comments
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  • When your numbers are so low to begin with...

    It's not that tough to grow nearly 300% when your numbers are so low to begin with. I'll be far more impressed if and when Windows Phone breaks the 10% barrier. At that point it will be able to legitimately call itself a contender.
    dsf3g
    Reply 9 Votes

    • One more 300% increase and they'll be there. With WP8 coming though

      it could be tough to make any gains this qtr. And I expect iphone5 will sell well to existing itards.
      Johnny Vegas
      Reply 9 Votes

      • Yeah...

        One more 300% increase at they'll catch Symbian - goody!
        Another 300% - and Blackberry toppled. :-P
        vgrig
        Reply 5 Votes

        • Another 300%

          I sense that math isn't your strong point. Another 300% and they'll be shipping more than half of what apple ships each quarter. Another way of looking at it is they will be selling more windows handsets than BB and Symbian combined.
          blarelli
          Reply 9 Votes

          • Well, you're the one with math problem...

            300% growth in units shipped has nothing to do with resulting market share for next year - you're assuming competitors and market itself won't grow, only Win phone will.
            I was ball-parking the numbers - assuming dynamic marker in smartphones; you on the other hand just added 2 numbers - you f^%$^%ing beancounter!:-P

            PS i do have MS in math, btw.
            vgrig
            Reply 3 Votes

          • Must be

            The education system in your country, but your math is certainly way off the mark.
            To reach Symbian they just need a 24% increase not 300%, to reach Blackberry they just need to sell 58% more phones than they sold last quarter, and both of these themselves are selling less.
            sjaak327
            Reply 3 Votes

        • LOL

          This reminds me of "the year" of desktop Linux when its usage passed 1% not so long ago.
          markbn
          Reply 3 Votes

          • Funny that

            The damage control works one way but not the other.
            CaviarBlack
            Reply 2 Votes

        • Even if WP does nothing

          they'll surmount Symbian shortly
          milo ducillo
          Reply 2 Votes

    • But then you'll say

      10% is no big deal. They can start talking once they grab 25%.
      milo ducillo
      Reply 3 Votes

      • So they went from 5 users to 15 users

        Awesome.

        lol...
        CaviarBlack
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Applemath again

          milo ducillo
          Reply 2 Votes

          • No, that's actually todd's buttocks math

            After all, he bought 'em.

            lol...
            CaviarBlack
            Reply 3 Votes

      • iphone

        Considering that the iPhone is only at 16%, 25% for the Windows Phone would be more than being "able to talk"
        dundonrl
        Reply Vote

    • Simple math.....

      300 x 0 still equals 0.
      linuxisforme
      Reply 5 Votes

      • True, but, why are you talking about Linux in a WP discussion?

        BTW, as smart as you many think you are, nobody in business, or even in school, ever talks about a market share of 0%, since that would constitute a non-existent product. It' would be like talking about the number of space aliens that will become part of the voting population next year. Makes no sense. Get it? You make no sense.

        If you like the number 0 so much, then, let me use it in a real world example for you...

        0% increase for Linux next year, will still keep Linux around 1%. ;)

        linuxisnotforanyone.... ;)

        The Linux market has already reached saturation point, meaning that, the people who would ever be interested in it, have already gotten it, therefore, 0% growth. ;)

        And, hey, I'm one of those that already has a copy of Linux in a separate partition on my desktop.
        adornoe
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Space aliens

          @adornoe,

          Do you pretend to know the number of space aliens that will vote next year?
          You have a crystal ball?
          Or you are one of them?

          By the way, I unlike you don't have Linux in a spare partition on my desktop. I don't have Windows either :)
          For me both have 0% growth, so what?
          danbi
          Reply 1 Vote

  • What are you talking about? WP is constantly praised by smartphone critics.

    It's the retail sales people who are actively steering interested buyers away from it. Once people give it a fair shake it'll win them over in droves. It's much better usability wise for the average smartphone user than either iphone or android. And with WP8 that'll be true for enterprises as well.
    Johnny Vegas
    Reply 9 Votes

    • i thought

      People was waiting for nodo
      then it was mango..
      Then it was applications
      then expecting to see wether it was wp8 upgrade compatible.

      But it was because of the sales associates for it not taking off.. Got it..
      Anthony E
      Reply 10 Votes

      • Actually

        Sales associates and marketing are a major contributing factor for any OS taking off. The fact is, when trying to sell products, most sales associates try to sell either the iPhone or an Android device. I haven't seen one sales associate direct people towards Windows Phone. In fact, most stores I've been to around hear have Android devices on a large display to attract the most customers, and same with the iPhone.

        Which brings me to my next major point: arrangement of the store. Walk into any store where you can buy cell phones. Go look at the phone section. You are most likely going to have to search for a Windows phone. Whereas with android, you most likely cannot throw a rock without hitting one.

        And then finally product placement in movies, commercials, and TV shows. Watch any TV show or movie, and you are most likely going to find an iPhone somewhere whenever someone uses a phone.


        The biggest problem with Windows Phone not taking off is, and will always be, marketing. If they don't market it correctly, and get sales associates to actually sell the devices, WP will never take off. They are most likely going to have to take the dirty approach and actually pay companies like Best Buy to market their WP devices.

        I should remind you that most users of Windows Phones are really satisfied with their purchase, and that most critics praise Windows Phone.
        spartanstu2011
        Reply 8 Votes
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