Windows Phone has struggled in the past to gain traction and attract consumers with big brand apps and hardware. Nokia gave the platform a boost in 2011, and HTC, Samsung and Huawei have stepped up their game with Windows Phone 8 handsets. So with new hardware, a more mature operating system and marketing campaigns, how's the adoption going? We have some news for the UK.
Almost one-third of new Windows Phone owners in the UK came from competing platforms, according to sales estimates from Kantar. The company reports that 700,000 new users jumped aboard the past year, in the UK alone. The data reveals that the Nokia Lumia 800 and HTC 8X both accounted for six percent of UK smartphone sales during three months ending January 2013 - up from 2.4 percent in the same period last year.
Unfortunately we're not looking at a huge success story as Windows Phone is still trailing behind iOS and Android, but with 30 percent of new Windows Phone owners noted to have moved across from other platforms, Microsoft is clearly making progress. How does this break down between competitors? 17 percent from Android, 6 percent from BlackBerry and 2 percent from iOS. Also, 26 percent made the switch from Symbian.
Kantar's global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Dominic Sunnebo had the following to comment on the find:
"The fact that nearly one in five new customers switched from an Android device should give Microsoft, and its partners, confidence that its OS has what it takes to bring the fight to more established platforms. As almost 30 percent of its customers switch from rival OSes, the worry that Microsoft will have to rely on attracting the dwindling pool of first-time smartphone buyers to drive future growth is reduced."
The UK isn't the only market where Windows Phone is making notable progress, Italy is also favouring towards Microsoft's mobile platform. How will the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520 help Microsoft push further with marketshare is yet to be seen, but we have high hopes for the latest hardware.
via: ZDNET
