iPhone surpasses Windows Mobile
A new report is out showing that the iPhone OS has caught and passed the Windows Mobile smartphone operating system to move into second place behind RIMs Blackberry operating system.
Windows Mobile, despite Microsoft’s best efforts at rebranding and attempts to breathe new life into i’s mobile software platform, is not responding to any of the therapies attempted. Sales and usage stayed flat during 2009, despite a small rally when the new version (6.5) was finally released in October along with Windows 7. The Windows smartphone OS started the year at right at 7 million users, and looks like it will close the year at almost exactly that level or perhaps marginally higher.
Contrast that to the performance of the market leaders. The iPhone continues its precipitous climb towards the top, increasing its share a total of more than 50 percent since February, according to this month’s ComScore report of cell phone usage. RIM Blackberry usage grew 20 percent over that same period, according to a PCWorld article. That growth differential between the iPhone and the Blackberry is also quite significant, showing as it does how quickly the Apple handset is catching up with RIM’s many offerings.
As it stands now, the iPhone is rapidly catching up to the leader, RIM and their stable of Blackberries, and both the leaders are leaving Windows Mobile in the dust. In February, RIM was 80 percent ahead of the iPhone. At this point, that lead is down to about 66 percent. The rate at which Apple is catching up seems to be accelerating slightly, as well. It is difficult to tell what sort of effect the slew of new Android phones will have on this situation, but most analysts do not expect them to stop the rise of the iPhone or the fall of the Blackberry in any major way. In all likelihood, 2010 will be more or less business as usual and the current trends will continue.
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