Microsoft’s Mobile Comeback Is Looking Terrible

Dan Frommer:

One troubling sign: Even now, more than a year after Microsoft started shipping Windows Phone 7 devices, U.S. mobile customers are getting rid of Microsoft devices faster than they’re buying new ones.

In the three months ending in February, Microsoft’s share of U.S. smartphone subscribers was 3.9%, according to comScore. That’s down from 5.2% last November and 7.7% last February.

One complication with Frommer’s analysis is that it’s based on “smartphone share”, not “mobile phone share”. The smartphone category has simply exploded over the past few years. It’s possible that Microsoft is selling more total Windows Phone devices but still losing smartphone share. But, still, no matter how you look at it, this isn’t good.

Update: Via Twitter, Dan Frommer says the raw number of Microsoft-powered phones in the U.S. is in fact in decline:

If you multiple smartphone share by number of smartphones, their total number of devices is shrinking.

He estimates 4 million in February 2012 versus 5.3 million a year prior.

★ Monday, 23 April 2012