Gartner: Windows Phone's market share in Q3 was just 1.7%

19 November, 2015
Market research firm Gartner has released its latest report on quarterly smartphone market share, revealing a major drop in Windows Phone's share - from 3% in Q3 2014 to 1.7% in Q3 this year.

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  • V
  • Vats
  • YTE
  • 20 Nov 2015

Anonymous, 20 Nov 2015there numbers seem bogus , first off they dont total an eve... moreThe total does make 100%. In 2015 column it adds up to 100.1 because they have obviously used round figures. (If you add 2.5 & 2.5 it's 5. But the addition of their round figures is 6). The quantity of phones even if increased by 20 millions, their % share can go down because the total number of phones increases by a much bigger value. These numbers are as true as they get

    • D
    • AnonD-447116
    • dPU
    • 20 Nov 2015

    Anonymous, 20 Nov 2015there numbers seem bogus , first off they dont total an eve... moreAll manufacturers are selling more than before, but MS have a smaller increase than others do, thats why % go down and millions go up.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • FMY
      • 20 Nov 2015

      there numbers seem bogus , first off they dont total an even 100% and how could a market share go up 10 million phones and % go down? so obviously there using funny math.

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        • Lex79
        • gL@
        • 20 Nov 2015

        Windows Phone, if it is a have any chance at all going forward needs a hero product.

        The 1020 was almost such a product a few years back, the problem with it was that other than the camera technology, the rest of the device was largely forgettable.

        I don't think the upcoming 950 series is going to serve this purpose either, whilst the hardware does sound decent, it doesn't stand out in any way, neither is the price all that competitive.

        At present it looks as though Windows Phone is going to hover around this kind of market share number until:

        A: Microsoft decide to release a stand out device and sell it as low a price as possible, in the hope that they establish a solid user base on which to build (think something like the Nexus 4 & 5, i.e. flagship hardware at mid-range or less price)

        Or

        B: Throw in the towel.

        Never been a WP user myself, but I hope B doesn't become the case, I prefer more options on the market, not less.

          • T
          • Taz26
          • cNL
          • 20 Nov 2015

          dukaki, 19 Nov 2015Firstly, did you check that they are indeed allowed to run ... moreU think i am a tech noob? obviously i checked the apps to run in the background i did all my research even formatted the phone. and the lumia 535 is got 1GB ram. WINDOWS PHONES SUCKS!

            • D
            • AnonD-467473
            • XsN
            • 20 Nov 2015

            Mello, 19 Nov 2015Hardly surprising. One company aggressively marketed its... moreEven funnier, many of the Android OEMs actually paid Microsoft for Android patents, rather than get Windows Phone for free. That's how bad Windows Phone was.

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              • AnonD-467473
              • XsN
              • 20 Nov 2015

              AnonD-441968, 20 Nov 2015Since there is no correlation between device sales (what th... moreNo correlation? Market share is sales of one thing / total sales. Gartner obviously measures both. So they come up with a market share. So I don't understand your complaint.

                • n
                • neil
                • KAx
                • 20 Nov 2015

                the reason, the market share has fallen so much is that after the announcement of win10 mobile, people will obviously wait for the new OS. instead of buying a mobile equipped with 8.1 and then upgrade. the sales will gather pace, once the new flagships(950 and 950xl), and the budget(550) are released..

                  • D
                  • AnonD-447116
                  • dPU
                  • 20 Nov 2015

                  AnonD-441968, 20 Nov 2015Since there is no correlation between device sales (what th... more3% is still too small compared to the competition.

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                    • AnonD-441968
                    • jRW
                    • 20 Nov 2015

                    Since there is no correlation between device sales (what this article is referring to) and actual market share of the OS, the conclusions the author makes are meaningless. The actual market share of WP has held steady in the 3% range for over a year (with Android and iOS also holding steady at 52% and 43% respectively, according to data on actual US carrier accounts tracked by ComScore MobiLens). And on the subject of tracking device sales, it is common sense to expect sales to drop in advance of long awaited flagships and a paradigm shifting OS update.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 3I{
                      • 19 Nov 2015

                      No need to feel sorry for Microsoft - they have nearly in a monopoly in the the enterprise market.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • LHj
                        • 19 Nov 2015

                        AnonD-466006, 19 Nov 2015December 14...will prove why Windows 10 is the best of ever... moreNice joke

                          • b
                          • boyo
                          • KAe
                          • 19 Nov 2015

                          AnonD-462381, 19 Nov 2015Maybe flagship devies aren't cheap, but budget ones are. An... moreI am using L 730 I think the price I paid for this phone is higher.

                            Taz26, 19 Nov 2015I myself an android user, so i got a windows phone for my m... moreFirstly, did you check that they are indeed allowed to run in the background in the first place? Windows phone is very restrictive over what is running in the background for battery saving and performance reasons. For me, Skype works perfectly but as you said Viber is a bit spotty. So I call bs on Viber for their handicapped app and generally the blame is on the devs, not microsoft, if the apps are broken.

                            Secondly, what are the features you want and they are missing? I find 8.1 Denim to have everything (and even some more features) my android phone has that I actually use. The only thing I could not find was a torch quick toggle but 10 preview has it.

                            The problem is that they were too late and they were playing catch-up on the flagship hardware and software features. 950/950xl/550 and windows 10 are definitely a step in the right direction.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • T6r
                              • 19 Nov 2015

                              Windows Phone is not a thing right now, sorry guys...it's time to accept it just like how BlackBerry did.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-466006
                                • X}G
                                • 19 Nov 2015

                                December 14...will prove why Windows 10 is the best of every Microsoft OS ever released...foreverLumia

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 5Mb
                                  • 19 Nov 2015

                                  Im surprised that samsung increased their volumes by over 10m units. With high end sales lower than last year, i suppose they are doing really well in low and mid compared to last q3

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-464852
                                    • LHj
                                    • 19 Nov 2015

                                    AnonD-51738, 19 Nov 2015The price of killing Nokia brand. I purchased 8 WP devices... moreNokia is dead end years ago ...keep waiting if you like

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-411799
                                      • 2SS
                                      • 19 Nov 2015

                                      AnonD-51738, 19 Nov 2015The price of killing Nokia brand. I purchased 8 WP devices... morei will only buy nokia mobiles if they come up with pure android os. wp os is ridicules.

                                        • M
                                        • Mello
                                        • tCQ
                                        • 19 Nov 2015

                                        Hardly surprising.

                                        One company aggressively marketed its phones as having the best phone experience some years ago. And made the best displays in stores. And gave big, roomy service centers. And offered comprehensive bulk/enterprise/education deals and packages. The effect lingers today - this is how the company cemented its brand.

                                        Another company decided to give OEMs free rein on its OS (for virtually no money), most of that being dirt-cheap phones (including oodles of Chinese-made ones). The lower prices was the most appealing thing about phones with this OS - this was made the reputation of this second brand.

                                        The above two companies are effectively shutting out the competition. Unless Microsoft finds a unique branding, its OS isn't getting bigger.