Microsoft is in a stiff position with its Windows Phone platform as Android and iOS continues to rise. A new report from IDC claims that the Windows Phone platform sales dropped by at least 9.4 percent in the second quarter of 2014 compared to the sale second quarter back in 2013.
This should be seen as a massive setback for Microsoft, as the company makes moves to rejuvenate the platform with new features and devices. Just months before, Microsoft acquired Nokia devices unit, a move that was seen as terrible to some, while others viewed it as another Microsoft move to be more like Apple.
As it stands now, Windows Phone only accounts for around 2.5 percent of the smartphone market share. Android, on the other hand, is sitting on 85 percent market share, and close to 12 percent of iOS. From here we can see that the challenges for Microsoft going forward is steep, and will take great determination and patience if change is ever to come.
Interestingly enough, the decline in sales might have a lot to do with the amount of Windows Phone based handsets launched this year. Microsoft is getting little to no support from its partners; however, the company has been courting HTC and Samsung to return back to the platform, and this time it might just work out better than in the past.
HTC is doing pretty badly with just Android on its radar; it is probably in the company's best interest to help push Windows Phone compete better with Android. Furthermore, Samsung sales are slipping as cheap Chinese smartphones are taking over the market, so looking to Windows Phone to make up for lost sales could be seen as a good idea.
If these companies should fail, Microsoft should consider going at it alone. Before Nokia's devices unit was gobbled up, the company was doing a decent job by itself, as Windows Phone's market share was actually growing. Handsets like the Lumia 520 and Lumia 620 really had an impact on the market. It is likely Microsoft may have to focus more on the low-end market and less on the higher end to stay in the game.
Still, Google is aiming for the low-end market as well, so right away, Microsoft is looking squarely at another dilemma.
