As if Windows Phone fans needed yet another reminder of the status of their platform, a new Kantar report is calling for a two-OS world, with no mention of Windows Phone in the plans. According to the report from Independent market analysis firm Kantar, Android and iOS are topping the market, and “gone are the days of BlackBerry OS, Symbian, or Windows Mobile could make a significant impact.”
In perhaps even more grim news for Windows Phone loyalists, Kantar’s report indicated that Windows Phone share of the US smartphone market is just 1.3%, for a total year-over-year (YoY) loss of 1.3%. Similarly, in Great Britain, the Windows Phone share is down to 1.9%, for a total YoY loss of 6.7%. Windows Phone market share in Germany (which was once the Windows Phone stronghold,) meanwhile, dipped to 2.9%, for a 3% YoY loss. You may find Kantar’s reports for other nations in the table below, though the results are still grim for Windows Phone worldwide, asides from Japan which sees a slight 1% year-over-year gain. These latest numbers all come from data from the last three months ending in January 2017.
Overall, Kantar finds that “there will only be two smartphone ecosystems moving forward, iOS and Android, and to succeed, phone manufacturers will have to play by those rulebooks.” Indeed, Kantar’s Lauren Guenveur highlights the most recent Mobile World Congress, citing that companies such as Blackberry and Nokia abandoned their own platforms for Android.
“February’s Mobile World Congress 2017 demonstrated the true state of the market, with re-emerging brand names Nokia and Blackberry capturing a lot of attention, but now operating on Android rather than on their own legacy operating systems…“We witnessed something of a throwback to times past with the new Nokia 3310 feature phone, an updated version of the iconic Nokia look, plus several new Nokia Android smartphones being marketed by HMD, now the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand.”
The report also shows that the iPhone 7 is a top seller in large markets, and that Android is remaining dominant in Asia with a share of for 83.2% of smartphones sold in China. Back here in the US, Android accounted for 56.4% of smartphone sales (down 1.8%) and iOS accounted for 42% of smartphone sales (up 2.9%.) Do you agree with Kantar Reports? Are you holding onto Microsoft’s platform and hoping for the release of Surface Phone in 2017? Or do you have some hope that Windows Phone might one day re-emerge in the market? Let us know in the comments below.
