Windows Phone captured 15% of New Zealand's smartphone market in July

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.


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.


source: Stuff.co.nz via WMPoweruser