According to a new mobile phone forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Windows Phone stands to grow fastest among the leading smartphone operating systems worldwide all through till 2018. The forecast report released on 26 February 2014, placed the Windows Phone first beating Android, iOS and Blackberry in terms of market share growth.
Kenya may experience an increased penetration of the Windows Phone in the coming four years as a result of continued support from Nokia as well as the addition of nine new Windows Phone vendors in emerging markets. Microsoft, makers of the Windows Phone OS, signed in new hardware partners (vendors) Lenovo, LG, ZTE, Foxconn, Gionee, Longcheer, JSR, Karbonn and Lava (Xolo) to develop the Windows Phone during the just concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain.
Microsoft is also collaborating with mobile chipmaker Qualcomm on a new building-block reference design that includes hardware and software and development tools with the aim of producing low-cost Windows Phone smartphones for growth markets. The idea behind the reference design is to enable hardware makers save on engineering costs, allowing them focus on differentiating their offerings based on apps and services.
According to the same IDC data, Android still commands the lead in the OS market share dominance with A 78.9% share in the smartphone OS market but this is bound to slip to 76% in 2018, due to the growth of the Windows Phone up from its current 3% market share. In 2018, the Windows Phone will stand at 7% market share in the OS market, an equivalent of 122 million Windows Phone devices being shipped worldwide. Windows Phone’s 29.5% annual year-over-year growth forecast beats out Android, iOS and Blackberry in terms of growth percentage.
International Data Corporation (IDC) is a premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets.
