Windows Phone Finally Gathers Some Momentum In The US

If there is one thing Microsoft’s mobile platform is not doing, it’s dominating markets around the world. Windows Phone currently finds itself the underdog in several countries.

But it has nevertheless, made some rather impressive strides in a number of places, particularly Italy and other such European countries — so much so that the platform is now said to have gained some much-needed traction, which can only bode well for the future.

The US market, however, has long been cited as one where Windows Phone is yet to post any impressive victories. iOS and Android rule the roost in this important market, the other being China.

But the latest figures from the now familiar Kantar Worldpanel paint a very uplifting picture.

Windows Phone accounted for 5.6 percent of all smartphone sold in the country between January and March — this is a certain increase from the same period last year when the operating system only accounted for 3.7 percent.

For comparison’s sake, Android displayed positive growth to end up at 49.3 percent (up from 47.9 percent), while iOS registered a drop of one percent to settle at 43.7 percent. BlackBerry came out as the biggest loser with the platform only accounting for 0.9 percent of all smartphone sales.

This is a definite far cry from the previous number of 2.9 percent.

While this is good news for Microsoft, it is even better news for Nokia. The Finnish telecommunication titan has gained the most from this growth, and now accounts for 4 percent of the devices in the US, up from 1 percent in the same quarter last year.

The report further states that exactly 52 percent of Windows Phone users are first time smartphone buyers — a sure sign that the bold new user interface of Microsoft’s mobile platform appeals to new users more than competing platforms.

It may be an overused cliché, but the only way from here seems up.