Do the people in New Zealand know something that that the rest of the world doesn't? According to Microsoft New Zealand general manager Paul Muckleston, Windows Phone has gone from owning 2% of the smartphone market in the country two years ago, to the 15% it owned in July. The executive spread the word during the country's largest annual tech event, Microsoft Tech Ed 2013 conference in Auckland.
Muckleston ran through the growth in the platform in New Zealand, explaining how for the year ending in June 2012, the platform had 2% of the market, rising to 4.5% of the market for the year that ended this June. Market share for the quarter ended in June was 8.5%, rising to that 15% figure in July. "Windows Phone is tracking at around 10 per cent share and with new product releases coming from Nokia we should get to a consistent 15 per cent by the end of the year," he says.
The executive credits Nokia's colorful Lumia line for jacking up Windows Phone sales in New Zealand. The low-end Nokia Lumia 520, available in black, red, yellow and white, can be bought lock, stock and barrel for $299. At the end of this month, Nokia's top-shelf Nokia Lumia 1020 will be launched from Telecom for $1149.
"Windows Phone for our previous financial year ending June 2012 was 2 per cent of the market. For the full 12 months ending June 30 this year, it was 4.5 per cent. In the quarter that ended June 30, it was 8.5 per cent, in July it was 15 per cent, in the last 12 months we have got another 9 per cent share."-Paul Muckleston, GM, Microsoft New Zealand
The Windows Phone Store currently has 938 local apps for the New Zealand market, from local banks to Trade Me, Now that the platform has captured double digit market share in the country, you can expect more local apps for the region.
First Windows Phone 7 buyer in New Zealand on October 21st, 2011
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: