Windows smartphone market share dips below one per cent

[HEXUS]

Q1 2016 worldwide sales; Android 84pc, iOS 15pc, Windows 0.7pc, Blackberry 0.2pc.

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[Wozza63]

Shame really, the platform is excellent. The main problem was out of Microsoft's control. Devs refusing to port their apps due to too few users. Users refusing to get a Windows Phone because there are too few apps. It came real close to the big time around 8.1 and a few more 'cool kid' apps like Snapchat really could have made it successful.

[Froggywoggy]

A great shame. The OS itself is great and constantly improving. The hardware is also good, with consistently good cameras and no slow-downs. There is still an app problem, although it is less to do with availability (unless you're a tween yearning for snapchat) and more to do with lack of updates in comparison to other OSs.

I'm looking forward to the possible Surface Phone though as the quality of Microsoft's phones (post Nokia) has been consistently high.

[The Hand]

This must be the lowest point for the Windows Phone platform.

It's either going to be snuffed out completely or slowly regain market share overtime with wider Windows 10 adoption and UWP.

[shaithis]

Not good for MS or the smartphone industry........I've been patently waiting for a Windows phone to convert me and I guess that was half their trouble They needed the apps in the store and they needed to offer free licenses to the Windows versions if you already owned the Android or iOS version. They were too late to the party to do otherwise without a killer feature to make people flock to them in droves.

[Saracen]

It's good to see that shoving Win8 Metro/MUI interface down desktop user's throats to leverage the mobile market was such great strategic decision.

PMSL, TBH.

[DanceswithUnix]

This must be the lowest point for the Windows Phone platform.

It's either going to be snuffed out completely or slowly regain market share overtime with wider Windows 10 adoption and UWP.

Tricky one.

I can see Microsoft being the only hardware vendor for Windows phones, unless they pay someone to release hardware. Now they have put the effort in to the whole single platform thing, it would seem odd for them to give up without a fight, and if they are the only hardware vendor then that still probably gives them more sales than say HTC?

However, from hearing my secondary school aged son talking it looks like these things were only ever going to sell to old business types who want Exchange integration.

My daughter's PC just upgraded itself from windows 7 to windows 10, and she considers it a downgrade and less usable. That is Microsoft's problem, people are forced to use this stuff at work and school and if the desktop experience is bad then who is going to pay money to have more of the same on their phone? I honestly think that if Microsoft hadn't made the desktop so tablet inspired, then general uptake on all platforms would be much higher. But no-one trusts them not just with their data but on just providing a nice experience.

Both my kids now have Windows tablets (2 in 1 machines with the detachable keyboard). That was my idea, they both needed some convincing, and possibly for my daughter a Shield would have been better. Before they had cheap Android tablets, and the way they get stuck on old Android versions was annoying and Windows 10 does seem to work well on a tablet. I'm just not convinced it is any good anywhere else.

[LSG501]

To be fair this isn't exactly unexpected to me at the moment. The current boss Nadella is pretty open in his view that MS isn't an 'os' company anymore and it's the most evident in the fact that they're releasing their main software on iOS and Android before Windows, if at all on windows phone... I also vaguely remember him saying something about not being bothered about Windows mobile but can't remember where. Why a company would do this I have no idea, Google and apple are both 'restricted' what can run on MS devices at various points which is clearly about keeping their marketshare from MS due to them being a large step ahead with their 'one size fits all os'.

Who do we blame for the lack of marketshare...
MS hasn't really pushed the boat out on the OS of late, they're not even fully behind it themselves
Nokia et al making phones which are pretty low end and there being no real flagship phone to get people interested
MS could take a note out of Google's playbook and offer 'at cost' phones with windows mobile, it's not like it will hurt them in the long run
App developers being too lazy or too greedy to actually support another OS, although MS could have paid to do
why did they not go after major businesses.... focusing on business requirements which to be fair neither android or iOS are that good at.

[CK_1985]

Wow, was expecting a drop but that's seriously steep. Think the end of WP is in sight now...

I agree that it's a shame though - have been on WP for several years (ever since leaving Apple) and I think the OS itself is brilliant. But have to confess I am planning to jump ship to Android soon, completely driven by the poor (and worsening) app situation. The apps are generally there, but updates are absolutely non-existent and key features are often missing. I've put up with it as long as I can but patience has finally run out!

[Corky34]

It's good to see that shoving Win8 Metro/MUI interface down desktop user's throats to leverage the mobile market was such great strategic decision.

Don't forget all those wonderful mobile centric features that are of little interest to desktop users like Cortana, app store, data sharing/gathering, etc, etc.

It's just a shame that, (afaik) despite losing market share on all their platforms, nothings going make them change tack or abandon the idea that one operating system can, or should be used on all types of devices.

[crossy]

I'll echo that Windows Phone was actually pretty decent - if they (Microsoft) are serious about getting it accepted (which I don't think they are) then maybe licensing it to Meizu etc would be a good idea. I was never convinced that the non-Nokia vendors (HTC & Samsung) were actually committed to Windows.

Shocking to see Apple's share drop so precipitously - with my Android fan hat on (as I type this on my Mac) I've got to wonder if they're being left because either their kit is too expensive, or that the fashion-lead folks in their userbase are finding their shiny, shiny elsewhere. If it's the latter then I'm going to predict an upswing in sales post-iPhone7 launch.

Getting back to Microsoft, while their phone OS looks to be circling the drain, I'm very impressed with the good work that their application teams have been doing. An NVidia Shield tablet with a stand case and a Logitech keyboard/trackpad combo makes a pretty decent portable office with Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook installed. Oh, and it plays games too....

It's good to see that shoving Win8 Metro/MUI interface down desktop user's throats to leverage the mobile market was such great strategic decision.

Don't get me started on W10 and MUI - I've just recovered (nearly three weeks later) after Metro packed up and then none of my Windows10 media decided it wanted to play nice with the hardware I'd got (which, it had been running happily on for two whole months!). I really hate Microsoft sometimes.

[CaptainAmerica]

I wouldn't mind a cut down Desktop Windows on mobile. Could be quite interesting really. Battlefront II on mobile anyone?

[Kato-2]

Windows Phone OS is actually really good, it's a pity to see it languish but the problem is two-fold;
1) Google out Microsoft'd Microsoft in that Android is classic Windows with embrace and extend allowing them to dominate all price points.
2) Windows Phone is more of a competitor to iPhone but MS simply does not have the brand appeal of Apple.

Maybe MS can still make Windows relevant by doing a hybrid PC/Phone with x86 but those will be expensive.

The other option is try to doing something with an Xbox phone like a dock that turns it into a console, the tech is their to do it and MS has premium games unlike the other mobile offerings.

It's not good for the future of Windows to be so utterly side lined, in the long run PC's could very well wind up like Apple Mac's a niche platform. Android is a real danger to Windows, it is being increasingly used in many developing nations for everything, combined with Chromebooks & Android PC inititives it could challenge Windows over the next decade.

[Saracen]

....

Don't get me started on W10 and MUI - I've just recovered (nearly three weeks later) after Metro packed up and then none of my Windows10 media decided it wanted to play nice with the hardware I'd got (which, it had been running happily on for two whole months!). I really hate Microsoft sometimes.

Sometimes??

I confess I've kinda gone past hating them, for the hassle and bother they put me through responding to what they did to Windows. Now, I'm more 'don't give a s..... erm, damn'.

I'm currently reserving the hatred for Google.

[The Hand]

Hexus might want to do an article on this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36367221

Most read article on the BBC News site. MS aren't really winning on the pr front.

[pri]

Hexus might want to do an article on this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36367221

Most read article on the BBC News site. MS aren't really winning on the pr front.

Ha... just saw that on the BBC site before popping over here

also interesting to see Huawei gaining some ground... I guess the Nexus device would have helped.