Research firm IDC believes Microsoft's Windows Phone platform will see significant growth over the next four years, according to a report it released today.
In the report, IDC states Windows Phone will see significant adoption in coming years due in large part to Microsoft's partnership with Nokia. While Microsoft's latest mobile platform has seen a slow start, the firm expects it to account for 19.2 percent of the mobile market by 2016. Currently, Windows Phone and Microsoft's older mobile platform, Windows Mobile, combine to make up about 5.2 percent of the mobile market. This increase in platform usage represents a 46.2 percent compound annual growth rate over four years, which is easily the largest growth rate the IDC predicts among the major mobile platforms.
The research firm also believes Android has hit its peak this year, as it expects Google's platform to drop from its 2012 market share of 61 percent down to 52.9 percent in 2016. Android will still remain the most-shipped platform, according to the firm's predictions, and will also have the largest market share. The firm predict's Apple's iOS platform to decrease slightly, from its 2012 market share of 20.5 percent down to 19 percent in 2016.
Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst at IDC, stated there will be a gradual growth toward smartphones from feature phones.
"The mobile phone user transition from feature phones to smartphones will continue in a gradual but unabated fashion," Restivo said. "Smartphone growth, however, will increasingly be driven by a triumvirate of smartphone operating systems, namely Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7."
Via: The Next Web
Source: IDC | Image via IDC
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