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“Happy Bday, “MetroUI”! 3 yrs ago today WP7 launched. In just a few countries on just one chip with only a handful of apps,” Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore stated on Twitter eariler today. Microsoft is celebrating the third birthday of the company’s Windows Phone platform and the introduction of the Metro/Modern user interface.
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For those that don’t remember, Windows Phone 7 made its debut back in 2010 and brought us the new Metro/Modern interface. Fast forward to today, we see a plethora of Windows Phone devices out there, with the majority of them being from Nokia.
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While the market share needs work, the platform has indeed grown when you look at the big picture. Starting from a few apps, the Windows Phone Store now has over 170,000 apps.
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According to data from ComScore, Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform currently holds a 3.2% market share as of August 2013. The platform has held a 3% market share in the United States as of July 2013. Windows Phone also posted its highest ever sales share of 9.2% across the five major European markets recently.
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Microsoft’s Metro platform eventually was renamed to “Microsoft Design Language” back in 2012 due to a dispute over the Metro name. The design language revolves around simplicity, less images, and more on typography.
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So lets all take this moment to wish Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform and the Metro UI a happy third birthday!
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