Redmond’s mobile operating system has been rocking and rolling recently. The company has a pretty good thing going for its Windows Phone 8 platform, and continues to slowly but surely gain market share and traction around the globe.
Now the company is really eying the entry level market, and is ready to shift the very focus of its development efforts for Windows Phone at the affordable range of the mobile market.
Obviously, this is not the first time we have heard this.
But the company’s VP for advertising and online, Frank Holland, has once again confirmed this new strategy. Microsoft wants to release a bunch of new affordable devices to target the low-end segment in order to help the Windows Phone platform gain market share around the world.
Talking to Networkworld.com, the senior executive confirmed this by saying:
“We are going to spend a lot of time in the next 12 months building a real presence on the low-end smartphone market with developing countries.”
The next year could potentially be a defining year for Windows Phone 8.
Fact is that the entry level segment of the market is where the Windows Phone platform has seen some absolutely great traction. Not to mention that this is one area where the platform has been projected to grow even further in the near future.
Word on the street is that Nokia is preparing another low end Lumia device soon.
And keeping in mind the crazy level of success the Lumia 520 has registered (and is registering) in terms of sales, another worldwide hit could well be in the making.
They need to figure out how they can increase their profile in china
It seems to be honorable in china to make and purchase cheap copies of original works. I’m not sure Microsoft stands a chance, then again, I don’t understand everything 🙂
Yes, there is a big problem of knock offs in China, but there is a decent portion of the population that actually buys the real thing and consider themselves part of the true world of tech.
Of course it’s great to increase your market share
but low end won’t get you the high end apps everybody on windows phone wants and won’t get people to switch from other platforms
I got a GS3 and wanna switch to windows phone but there just is no phone that would bring today’s high end specs which would last me through the next couple of years (lumia 1020 got the same internals as the 920 which was released almost a year ago)
Question, Do you mean that low end windows phones don’t run the normal windows phone apps?
No of course they do
But what I mean is that developers would rather have high end smartphones to code for.
High end WP8 smartphones are already there and have been there for a while. What you mean is support for quod core processors, which is coming this month with GDR3. I don’t think it will make any impact with developers at all. Developers are only interested in marketshare.
Windows Phone is not Android. I does need 3Gb RAM to run and a quod-core processor to run sufficiently smooth.
So, you’re saying developers only have high end phones in mind when developing apps? So, if all the sudden the cheaper Android phones started to dominate again, Android apps would slow down? I thought their main desire was just to sell the apps they make.
Of course it’s great to increase your market share
but low end won’t get you the high end apps everybody on windows phone wants and won’t get people to switch from other platforms
I got a GS3 and wanna switch to windows phone but there just is no phone that would bring today’s high end specs which would last me through the next couple of years (lumia 1020 got the same internals as the 920 which was released almost a year ago)
I think it’s a good move. The main focus right now is expanding the use of Windows Phone. If people like it, at some point they will at least be open to getting one of the higher line phones.