Windows Phone sales double in major European markets

And the Microsoft OS is just 0.7 per cent behind iOS in Germany.
It remains to be seen whether Microsoft's recent $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia's mobile business will pay off or not, but the popularity of Windows Phone is undeniable, based on new smartphone sales figures from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
For the three months ending August 2013, Windows phone secured a 9.2 per cent sales share in the EU5 – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The figures vary greatly across the markets in terms of growth, but the WinPho share rose from 4.5 per cent to 12 per cent year-on-year in the UK and from 5.6 per cent to 10.8 per cent in France. This marks the first time the OS has hit double digits in major markets.
Meanwhile, Windows Phone secured an 8.8 per cent share in Germany – up five per cent year-on-year – and it's catching up to iOS on a 9.5 per cent share – down 1.6 per cent year-on-year.
Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said: "Windows Phone’s latest wave of growth is being driven by Nokia’s expansion into the low and mid range market with the Lumia 520 and 620 handsets.
"These models are hitting the sweet spot with 16 to 24 year-olds and 35 to 49 year-olds, two key groups that look for a balance of price and functionality in their smartphone."
Android, however, is still the dominant force and has a 70.1 per cent share across Europe.
In terms of devices, Samsung leads with a 47.1 per cent share, which has dipped year-on-year as Sony and LG sales have grown. Apple sales are up two per cent, and Nokia sales have grown 0.9 per cent.
UK smartphone penetration is now at 67 per cent, and 85 per cent of devices sold in the three-month period were smartphones.
On a global scale, iOS sales rose 5.4 per cent year-on-year to hit 39.3 per cent. The Apple share is expected to grow, given that its new iPhone 5S and 5C handsets hit sales of nine million in the opening weekend.
Apple and Android are sales in Japan are almost neck and neck at 47.4 per cent and 48.6 per cent respectively, while Android sales in China are up nine per cent.
As for BlackBerry, who recently lost almost $1 billion in Q2, the OS has sales of just 2.4 per cent across the EU5 and 1.8 per cent in the US.

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