Windows Phone to Take 3rd Spot?

Windows Phone finally overtakes BlackBerry to take third spot in terms of smartphone shipments

 

 

 

Research firm IDC has posted its quarterly report on the smartphone market which suggests that Windows Phone devices have finally overtaken BlackBerry smartphones in terms of shipments. This also means that devices running Microsoft’s OS take third spot in terms of smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2013.  According to the report, Windows Phone devices accounted for 3.2 percent of total shipments while BlackBerry devices fell to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent in the previous quarter.
It’s also worth noting that Nokia has expanded its Windows Phone portfolio to lower price points with devices like the Lumia 720, Lumia 620 and the Lumia 520. In fact, the Lumia 520 costs less than Rs 10,499, so it makes sense that the shipments are increasing. On the other hand, BlackBerry only launched its new BB10 based Z10 in January and its QWERTY Q10, which happens to be its bread in butter device has not launched in many parts of the world including India. Plus, its Q5 smartphone was only announced two days ago, and will not arrive before June. In fact, if anything can say that the growth in Windows Phone shipments is still slow.


Android and iOS seem to be in league of their own with 92.3 percent smartphone shipments being shared between both the platforms. Actually, it is Android, which is really running away with the market share. Yesterday, Google announced that there had been 900 million Android activations which was up from 500 million activations a year before. Additionally, 75 percent of the total smartphones shipped in Q1 were based on Android.
While, Apple managed 17.3 percent, it should also noted that it shipped 37.3 million iPhones in Q1 in the wake of the iPhone 5, and this was its best best quarter ever.
IDC posits that 162.1 million Android smartphones were shipped in Q1, an increase of 71.8 million units from 90.3 in 2012.
Android is on a roll, and if Windows Phone and BlackBerry want to make a fist of it, then both the operating systems need to eke out market share from Android. Windows Phone seems to be in the right direction, as devices like the Lumia 520, Lumia 620 and the Lumia 720  are selling quite well in emerging markets like India.