In the last seven months, Microsoft has launched seven new Lumia handsets - but all of these devices have been aimed at the lower end of the market. Some potential buyers have been frustrated by the fact that the last Lumia range-topper, the 930, was announced in April 2014, and that was just the international version of the near-identical icon, which went on sale 16 months ago.
In February of this year, Microsoft promised that "best in class Lumia smartphones, powered by Qualcomm"s Snapdragon 810 processors" were in development, and the company has now confirmed that it will offer these devices in India.
While Microsoft"s focus on low-end devices has attracted some criticism, its strategy has been working well in emerging markets, and particularly in India. Independent figures published in April showed that Windows Phone shipments grew there by 20% during the first quarter of the year, despite a decline of 8% in the overall domestic smartphone market.
But Ajey Mehta, head of Microsoft Mobile in India, told The Wall Street Journal that the company doesn"t want to focus exclusively on entry level devices. "If we want to build Microsoft as a strong consumer brand," he said, "we need presence at the flagship, high-end segment", adding that such devices running Windows 10 Mobile will launch in India later this year.
Microsoft"s Windows Phone platform remains incredibly small alongside its much larger rivals, with just 3% share of the global smartphone market, but in some markets - like India and the UK, where sales grew by 32% last quarter - the company is enjoying greater success.
But it remains to be seen if Microsoft can translate these local success stories into significant worldwide growth with the launch of Windows 10 Mobile, and a new generation of more capable devices.
Source: The Wall Street Journal via WMPU