If Windows Phone really does start to take off, it will be in large part thanks to the efforts of Nokia, the Finnish device manufacturer that has come under withering criticism from both analysts and investors for choosing Microsoft’s mobile platform over Google’s Android. Seeking Alpha has posted a compilation of charts showing that Nokia has been slowly increasing its market share in many key markets, which is helping Windows Phone gain a foothold in its efforts to become the world’s No. 3 mobile operating system.
As you can see from the chart, which is based on numbers from Kantar Worldpanel, Windows Phone’s market share has been marching unevenly upward in the United Kingdom, France and Australia while it’s more or less maintained a consistent market share in Germany and Spain. The only market to see a big dip recently in Windows Phone adoption is Italy but that country still has the highest Windows Phone adoption rate of all markets shown at just under 10%.
Since Nokia accounted for a whopping 81% of all Windows Phone devices shipped last quarter, it’s no stretch to say that the company is almost single-handedly responsible among device manufacturers for Windows Phone’s recent uptick. One thing to watch for if Nokia’s Windows Phone ventures start turning profitable is if other OEMs such as HTC give the platform a second look for flagship devices since they’ve had little luck making money from flagship devices based on Android.
