Microsoft has been very quiet about Windows Phone 7 sales. So quiet, in fact, that we"re yet to actually hear any official device counts from the company or indications as to how growth is happening (other than the marketplace). In a damning report released by Canalys, the platform is pinned to have only sold 1.5 million devices during Q2 2011.
Apple was able to ship 20.3 million iPhones during the same period, but the numbers are very different to that of Android. The platform -- created by search giant Google -- saw a massive 51.9 million devices shipped, up 379% over the same period last year. According to Canalys, Samsung is now the largest Android manufacturer, making 17 million devices out of that 51.9 million.
Despite this, Canalys notes that Samsung was unable to capitalize on Nokia"s "weaked state" worldwide, as it transitions from it"s outdated Symbian phone OS to Microsoft"s Windows Phone platform in Q4 of this year. Microsoft is betting big on Nokia"s weight when it releases handsets equipped with Mango, the companies latest release of it"s phone software that brings over 500 new features to the platform.
Currently, the Redmond based software giant is down 52% compared to last year with phone shipments making up a mere 1% of global mobile market share. It"s worth noting that the platform had not launched this time last year, and the company has since retired its once extremely popular "Windows Mobile" line, leading to less shipments as its new platform takes shape.
RIM has also had a hard time recently, with its market share dropping from 45% last year to 33%, but the company managed to increase shipments 11% which helped it to retain the number one spot in Latin America. RIM stated that "it must continue to innovative and recapture lost momentum. It’s critical that the next-generation BlackBerry OS 7-based products launch ahead of the upcoming holiday season to compete in the market."
Microsoft is pinned to release Mango, it"s latest version of Windows Phone 7 in September. The company is betting big on the new release, with hopes that it can help them gain traction in the tough mobile market. Mango will release with a slew of new devices and marks the beginning of the companies major partnership with Nokia.