Windows Mobile market share flatlining

Smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system achieved a market share of just 12% in the second quarter of this year.

Failing to increase on quarter sales, Microsoft was outperformed by both Symbian and Research in Motion (RIM), with open source provider Linux closing in from behind.

Canada-based RIM makes the Blackberry range of handsets, already popular with business users.

A growing number of consumer users purchasing Blackberry handsets has see RIM’s market share increase significantly, at the expense of Microsoft.

Smartphones running the Windows Mobile platform sold 18 million units between July 2007 and June 2008, 2 million units below projections.

In the same period, Microsoft increased its market share by only 0.5%.

Flat-lining sales of Windows Mobile handsets has prompted concern that Taiwan-based handset makers, which almost all use Windows OS, have lost their competitive edge.

Out of all the Taiwan-based manufacturers, only High Tech Computer (HTC), who in addition to its Windows Mobile handsets is producing Google’s Android-based smartphone, has delivered an outstanding performance this year.

With strong Apple iPhone sales increasing the market share of Mac OS, Symbian moving to an open source platform, and the release of Google’s Android OS, Microsoft has it all to do to prove that Windows Mobile can be as successful as its PC-based siblings.