In a survey that was conducted of consumers in the United States of America, 7% of people preferred Microsoft"s Windows Phone platform, compared to the BlackBerry"s 6%. Consumer confidence was somewhat higher in other smartphone operating systems however, with Apple"s iOS reaching 48% of consumer preference and Android taking 19%.
According to the report published on PR Newswire, consumers still preferred the phones that offered more basic functionality or were more familiar to them. When consumers were asked which phone they would like to receive as a gift, an overwhelming 69% chose the iPhone 5. But the figures in the survey suggest that despite Android"s dominant market share, it isn"t so popular with customers. The reasoning for this may be due to the increased availability and lower price of the platform compared to others, as speculated by WPMU.
Provided that the gap between Apple"s iOS and WP7 is so large, it doesn"t send the best message to Microsoft, who are promoting the mobile platform as an alternative to consumers. There are some positives however that this survey brings to light in that it now makes the WP7 OS the third most popular in the United States, despite a market share of only around 1%.
Earlier this week, Microsoft released the latest and biggest update to Windows Phone 7 yet, which the company have dubbed "Mango", to manufacturers worldwide. With the update bringing functionality that many have come to expect from the big players, those in Redmond will be hoping it will have an impact on consumer views.
Image Source: Metro.co.uk