It is 2016. Microsoft has several Windows mobile devices that it is keen on pushing to its fans and enterprise partners around the world. However, it is not a 2015 or 2014 model that tops the charts when it comes to the most used smartphone on its mobile platform. It is a 2013 smartphone. The venerable Nokia Lumia 520. The stated implication here is that Microsoft has failed to convince/lure these users to move higher up in the food chain by upgrading their devices. Or, since the Lumia 520 catered for the entry-level user and provided the best mobile experience with good-enough specs that even Android budget devices had trouble matching, it still just works three years down the line.
It is worse than that, though, as can be seen from the above chart. The most widely used high-end Windows smartphone is also another oldie, the Lumia 920.
The Lumia 920 was unveiled in November 2012. Either it was really a nice smartphone that everyone with the money loved and rushed to buy or later models weren’t that attractive. Or, as AdDuplex purports, later Windows flagships like the Lumia 950 and 950XL are way too expensive. Then again, so are its counterparts from rival platforms Android and iOS. Or, simply, the allure of Windows Phone/Windows Mobile is no longer there. And Microsoft’s decision to not be aggressive with its latest Lumias won’t help matters. Maybe that oft-rumoured Surface phone will.
12.9% of Windows devices monitored in January 2016 by ad distribution network AdDuplex were Lumia 520s. All is not that gloomy though. The runner-up, at a close 11.7%, is the Lumia 535, a more recent device. Still, 6 out of the 10 widely used smartphones globally are at least 2 years old. That should be worrying.
Virtually all of the Windows devices in use currently are from Microsoft/Nokia. HTC accounts for just 1% while Huawei, Samsung, BLU and others are negligible. It is worth noting that thanks to its several budget offerings, BLU has managed to overtake Huawei in the charts to become the fourth in the pecking order after Samsung which holds on to third place.
This is how the various versions of Microsoft’s Windows mobile platform fair today as far as usage is concerned:
Via Windows Central
