Market Share analysis shows 50% jump with Windows Mobile

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

Market Share by Net Application is a company that analyzes website traffic and generates a trend analysis based on this activity. While there are many naysayers about how successful Windows Mobile 6.5 has been, Market Share's latest trends analysis may put some of the "Windows Mobile is dead" comments to rest.

From November to December 2009, Windows Mobile experienced a 50% increase in web traffic measured by Market Share. Windows Mobile jumped from a .04% share of the traffic to .06%. The growth is second only to the Android OS. The iPhone remains at the top of the heap, claiming .44% of the traffic, with Symbian pulling in .23% of the traffic.

There was no explanation for the increase, but the increase could be a sign that a)Windows Mobile 6.5 is more successful and inviting than many thought b) Microsoft's advertising campaign for Windows Mobile is more successful than first thought or b) the spike is device related. We are seeing more powerful Windows phones hitting the market (LG Expo and HTC HD2) that improve Windows Mobile's browsing capabilities.

Regardless of the reason behind this spike, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues into this new year.

Via WMPoweruser

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson

Phil is the father of two beautiful girls and is the Dad behind Modern Dad. Before that he spent seven years at the helm of Android Central. Before that he spent a decade in a newsroom of a two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist newspaper. Before that — well, we don't talk much about those days. Subscribe to the Modern Dad newsletter!

6 Comments
  • It could also be a sign the WinMo browsers are getting better (i.e. - Opera 10 and Skyfire)
  • So does that mean that .06 of people with WM surfed the web? 6 out of every 100?
  • No, it means that you failed math....miserably.
  • IMO, it's not WinMo 6.5 bring in more customers... 'cause 6.5 is only a small improvement over 6.1, which wasn't hugely different from 6.0, 5.0 etc, etc. What makes a mobile sucefull in today's market is a user-friendly UI + visual appeal + a good browser. WinMo 6.5.x + Microsoft's Pocket Internet Explorer aren't fulfilling that role right now without help from outsiders. IMO Microsoft owes a TON of thanks to HTC for thier Manila and Sence UI's, and to other companies such as Opera and Skyfire for thier browsers. Without them, Windows Mobile (or now 'Windows Phone') would be dry bones by now. I've alwarys loved the versatality and POTENTIAL of Windows Mobile, but Microsoft had better not let this small bump go to their heads. I don't think it had anything to do with their accomplishments (or lack thereof). Rather they're benifiting from the accomplishments of others (sort of the Microsoft way, though).
  • This is good news has Iphone and Android are just all hyped phones. Windows phones are the best has read this great news how Iphone is failing so fast has no one seems to want buy it. Wait when Windows Mobile 7 comes out it going to blow away Iphone and Android. http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2010/01/shopper... Also CES event is this week and everytime I go to CES event I see many people holding a Windows phone and NO Iphone. Shows you why Big Major companies rely on Windows phone for personal and business use.
  • As the say, there are lies, damned lies, and then there's statistics. First, what countries are represented here? If it's the world, we know that Symbian is still King. Yet they are behind the iPhone in the "data". That alone causes problems in interpretation. What's the statistical error in the data? I wouldn't be surprised if it's plus or minus 3%, making comparisons with such low values as represented by the smartphone data meaningless. And lets remember what the data is actually trying to portray - traffic to web sites from devices where the OS can be identified. iPhone users are heavy Internet users, that's why they are over represented. If the iPhone data can't be trusted, what does that say about the Windows Phone data? A usage pattern correction factor would have to be applied first for the data to mean anything. Hey, I don't what Windows Phone to fail, but WMExperts isn't helping by grasping at straws with such a poor misrepresentation of questionable data as in this post. Very un-Expert like. P.S. To the above Anonymous poster - I was at CES this year and there were plenty of iPhones seen in use by attendees. As far as I know, only Steve Balmer and I were seen using the HD2 and I'm not entirely sure of Steve based on his keynote.