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Android and iOS continue to squeeze Windows Phone out of the mass market

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By John Glenday, Reporter

April 28, 2014 | 2 min read

The challenge faced by Microsoft in growing its Windows Phone operating system into the mass market has been laid bare by the latest smartphone sales data to be published by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech which show the platform continue to languish in distant third behind its more entrenched rivals.

In the first three months of 2014 Apple enjoyed a sales boost in Europe, taking it to 19.2 per cent whilst Android remains the pre-eminent player, commanding a 70.2 per cent market share. This left Windows trailing as also-ran with a mere 8.1 per cent of smartphone sales.

Apple also enjoyed a successful quarter in Japan, where it enjoys 42 per cent of sales on NTT DoCoMo, 59 per cent on KDDI AU and 81 per cent on Softbank.

In China meanwhile the story continued to be of large screen format devices of 52 and above, accounting for 40 per cent of all smartphone sales in March.

Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, said: “Apple regained ground in the first quarter of 2014, primarily due to the strong performance of the iPhone 5S, growing its sales share in Europe, Japan and Australia. By contrast, Windows had a tough start to the year as a result of its entry-level Nokia models facing fierce competition from low-end Motorola, LG and Samsung Android smartphones.”

Smartphone ownership stood at 71 per cent in Britain last month with 88 per cent of devices sold over the period being of the smart variety.

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