Windows Phone Now Third Mobile OS, BlackBerry Fourth

Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system has managed to climb to the third position in the smartphone operating systems segment, a recent report from IDC shows.

According to data coming from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the platform registered the largest year-over-year increase when compared to rival platforms, and managed to leave BlackBerry behind. Furthermore, said report unveils that Nokia’s Lumia smartphones were the main growth driver for Microsoft’s OS, accounting for over 79 percent of all Windows Phone shipments in the timeframe. “Since Nokia began shipping Windows Phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments,” IDC notes. “Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows Phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.”

However, Google’s Android operating system is still leading the smartphone OS market, with a 75 percent market share. Samsung accounted for 41.1 percent of Android shipments in Q1, IDC reports. Apple’s iOS platform ended the first quarter of the year on the second position with 17.3 percent share and with 37.4 million devices sold, the research firm unveiled. Canadian mobile phone maker BlackBerry saw its market share shrink to only 2.9 percent in the aforementioned timeframe, with only 6.3 million devices shipped. Interestingly enough, shipments of Symbian devices are expected to continue not only this year but also in the next, although the platform has seen a drastic drop in market share when compared to the first quarter of the last year, IDC reports.

“Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. “Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS.”

Lumia 925, the latest Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia
Image credits to Nokia

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