Windows Phone introduced in 2010 has so far been quite a modest success. One of the world’s most acclaimed software company Microsoft announced in 2009 that Windows Mobile platform had 20 percent of U.S. smartphone market. Even though having a great history with mobile, today Microsoft Phone has as little as 2 percent market share. By comparison, Google’s Android reached 12 percent during the first 18 months after its launch and has by now gained the half of U.S. market.
Nokia’s recent Windows 7-running Lumia 710 and Lumia 900 have won the hearts of customers. Fans praise them to be intuitive and easy to use; many also highly appreciated the advanced personalization features and Xbox Live integration. Devotees say they like the “fresh” Metro UI, so different from the traditional icon style.
So what’s wrong with Windows Phone? What causes the market share loss? Many experts say it’s the timing of its launch; others add the lack of good apps like Android and iOS have. Even carriers are blamed. Experts say wireless carriers play a great role in lives and deaths of mobile OS. In many ways the success of a mobile OS depends on whether the carriers promote the system or not; by now no carrier has pushed Windows Phones.
Carrier giants like AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon say that they want to balance the smartphone market with a third major player along with Apple and Google. iPhone and Android devices have usurped the market and rival try to win their share by pushing certain platform. T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon have caused Android to grow substantially since 2009, while AT&T made exclusive deal to sell the iPhone.
Like Windows Phone 8 isn’t just as doomed as 7?
I hate Metro. And there’s no way to get rid of it. Imagine being stuck with TouchWiz forever!
Could be something to do with the fact that Windows 8 is aimed at a new hardware platform – touch screens, tablets, etc, so I think this comparison is meaningless
i cant wait for windows 8, its way faster than 7 ,and easier to use once you get use to it , and the enthusiast pc market is not going anywhere anytime soon, new enthusiast hardware is selling well.
Windows 7 has been leaked multiple times, various builds, not just beta and release candidate. People open torrents, see new operating system, download it.
Maybe that could explain the gap, at least a bit.