One of the greatest challenges facing any software firm is pushing out updates. Hardware fragmentation, different languages, and a host of other problems ensure that putting out an upgrade can tend to be a nightmare. This is especially true within the mobile industry, which has a particular notoriety in this area.
Good news has come for Microsoft on this front however. As reported by AdDuplex in its figures for November, Windows Phone 8.1 is now installed on 50.5% of all Windows Phone devices worldwide. Containing a number of usability upgrades and features to achieve parity in certain areas with iOS and Android, Redmond have been pushing the update hard, committing to upgrading every device it can. While certain manufacturers have either reported issues with the upgrade or have just plain ignored it, nearly every current Lumia device now runs the new software.
On this note however, these figures must be taken with a pinch of salt. While Microsoft has indeed been successful in getting the update out, they manufacture 94.99% of all Windows Phones on the market. Moreover, 33.5% are still on Windows Phone 8, while a further 15.7% languish on Windows Phone 7.
With the new year fast approaching, a number of new manufacturers will begin releasing Windows Phone devices soon, and as Microsoft begins to push Windows 10 out to devices globally, it will be interesting to see if this momentum is maintained. Of these other manufacturers, only Huawei, Samsung and HTC have produced enough devices to merit mention, all others account for a miserable 0.14% of total devices.
Are you running Windows Phone 8.1? Let us know in the comments below.
