The research firm Kantar Worldpanel regularly calculates smartphone sales carried out worldwide over the past 12 weeks to trends. This time the firm has paid special attention to the release of Nokia Lumia 800 in the UK market and gives some information about this very interesting.
Kantar reports that for the first time smartphone users outnumbered feature phone users, with more than 50% of cellphone users owning some kind of smartphone, and 71% of sales in the holiday season from November 2011 to 22nd January 2012 being for smartphones.
Kantar notes Windows Phone which managed to capture 2.2% of sales in this period, with the Lumia 800 taking the majority of this market share.
“Windows Phone 7 is also creeping up, taking over 2% of the market for the first time with the Nokia Lumia 800 taking the lion’s share. This looks set to continue with the expected launch of at least two new models at the Mobile World Congress conference," said Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
"A really positive thing for the mobile OS from Microsoft is how users seem to use their smartphone. Of 81% owners of a Windows Phone have used social networks on their devices during the previous month, as more users Android and IOS. Moreover, three quarters of the owners of a 800 Lumia used the GPS, indicating that the choice to include free Nokia Nokia Drive was a relevant investment. "
He noted Nokia has been at least somewhat successful in converting its Symbian users to Windows Phone, with a quarter of users of Windows Phone 7 having used Symbian phones in the past.
He predicted Windows Phone could grow its market share to 8% by the end of 2012.
