Cell phone market shares are a tricky thing to calculate. The only people that have the exact figures are OEM’s and carriers and their lips are sealed on exact figures. That being said, many numbers from different sources are very close to each other so we can at least get a gauge for how Windows Phone is doing in various countries. Kantar World Panel has an interactive map that’s embedded below that contains market share figures from multiple countries dating back three years.
Since market share percentages can jump up and down quickly from month to month, we’ve averaged the percentages from January-June 2014 and compared them to the averages percentages from July-December 2014. This isn’t a comprehensive breakdown but it does go through some of the most popular or newsworthy countries when it comes to Windows Phone market share.
Where Windows Phone is doing well- Italy and France
Windows Phone is experiencing growth and stable double digit market percentages in Italy and France. From the first half of 2014 to the second half, market share in Italy rose from 13.13% to 13.6% and while that isn’t a massive increase it is a large market share for the often struggling mobile operating system. There are months within 2014 in which Windows Phone had a larger market share than iOS in Italy. During the same period, Window’s Phone market share in France increased from 9.57% to 10.2%.
Where Windows Phone is doing okay- Germany and Australia
While market shares may not hit double digit percentages in these countries, Germany and Australia are experiencing grown. Both of their market shares are over 5% and are trending upward. Australia had an increase of just under 1% by moving from 6.03% to 6.92% throughout last year. Germany’s increase was smaller, 6.68% to 6.93%, but their overall market share is still higher than many other countries.
Where it’s hard to tell how Windows Phone is doing- The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom market share for Windows Phone is difficult to decipher because the average for the second half of 2014 is relatively high at 8.52%. Despite having a markedly higher share of users than Germany and Australia who we classified as ‘doing okay’, it comes after a sharp decrease from the 9.78% from the first half of 2014.
Where Windows Phone is struggling- The United States and China
Windows Phone continues to struggle in the home of Microsoft. Market share in the United States dropped from 4.65% to 3.88% in 2014. The Redmond based company has never cracked 6% in any given month and is trending in the wrong direction.
The worst numbers by far come from China. Market share for Windows phone in China was never greater than 1% in 2014 and was 0.2% lower in the second half of the year than the first.
What does this mean for Windows Phone?
Windows phone has securely moved itself into the third place spot behind Android and iOS around the world. Even in countries where Windows Phone struggles it still beats out Blackberry and smaller operating systems. While trends in the US and UK don’t look promising, the overall perspective of Windows Phone may be changing around the world. In one extreme example, Windows Phone even beat iOS seven out of twelve months. This shows that Windows phone can compete and even beat out iOS in select markets.
With Windows 10 coming out this year, Microsoft may a cure for their struggling areas and a fortifier for ones in which they are already seeing success but it will most likely take a longer period of time to tell.
