Windows Phone

We hardly knew ye, Windows Phone. And I mean that literally almost none of us knew Windows Phone: The latest smartphone numbers from IDC are out and they show that Windows Phone has continued to lose market share over the past year even though it never had a strong market share to begin with. Overall, IDC found that Windows Phone’s total shipments “had the smallest year-over-year increase among the leading operating systems growing just 4.2%, well below the overall market.” The platform’s overall market share declined from an already tiny 3.3% in 2013 to an even more dismal 2.7% in 2014. More →

2014 was a wasted year for Windows Phone. Not only did Microsoft see its market share continue to stagnate but it also saw some of its longtime users express frustration over the platform’s lack of apps and lack of strong carrier firmware support. Now Paul Thurrott, who describes himself as a “long-suffering Windows Phone fan,” has written an anguished plea begging Microsoft to get its act together and make Windows Phone relevant again in 2015. More →

2014 has been a very bad year for Windows Phone. Not only has the platform’s market share been stagnant at best but it’s been more than a year since we’ve seen any flagship Windows Phone hardware on par with 2013’s Lumia 1020 or Lumia 1520. In that time, Apple has released both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus and Android fans have had a feast of riches in the form of high-end flagship devices from Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG and OnePlus. Even BlackBerry has made its diehard fans happy with the release of the beastly BlackBerry Passport. Now things have gotten so bad that two high-profile Windows Phone users have said they’re quitting the platform this week until things change. More →

After showing some promise in 2013, Windows Phone adoption has largely stagnated in 2014, especially in the United States. ZDNet’s Ed Bott, who has used Windows Phone for years, recently threw up his hands in frustration because he’s sick and tired of wireless carriers — and Verizon in particular — not caring enough about Windows Phone users to help them get the latest updates and features on their devices. More →

It’s impossible to argue that Windows Phone has been anything close to a success at this point but that doesn’t mean Microsoft should give up on it. In fact, unless Microsoft wants to get out of the software platform game all together, it has to establish at least some foothold in the mobile market. So what’s a tech giant to do? Jan Dawson has written a very smart column over at Techpinions that includes a three-step plan that could help Microsoft actually get people to care about Windows Phone. More →