High sales of cheap Windows Phone smartphones such as the Nokia Lumia 520 are one of the reasons why Microsoft's mobile OS is making big strides in Europe in terms of market share. A new report from the research firm Kantar World Panel claims that for the three months that ended on August 2013, Windows Phone's share of the market went up to an average of 9.2 percent in five key European countries.
In addition, the share in two territories, France and the UK went up to 10.8 percent and 12 percent, respectively, for Windows Phone. That's the first time that the OS has seen a double digit percentage in two major markets. Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, stated:
Windows Phone’s latest wave of growth is being driven by Nokia’s expansion into the low and mid range market with the Lumia 520 and 620 handsets. These models are hitting the sweet spot with 16 to 24 year-olds and 35 to 49 year-olds, two key groups that look for a balance of price and functionality in their smartphone.
It's not all good news. Kantar claims that the three month share of Windows Phone in the U.S. went up from 2.6 percent a year ago to just 3 percent this year, an increase of just 0.4 percent. More unsettling is the dip in the Chinese market share. Kantar claims that just 2.1 percent of residents in that country use Windows Phone for their smartphone in the last three month period, far less than the 4.7 percent who said they used such a phone a year ago.
Source: Kantar World Panel
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