14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's Windows Phone has indeed increased its market share in the last few months, but it's still way behind rivals iOS and Android, so Redmond is now rethinking its strategy to grab the lion's share at least in emerging markets.
The key to success is to tackle Android's supremacy with Windows Phone devices which not only that would be offered with a very low price tag, but would also offer premium features that are often available only on more expensive devices.
That's what Ajey Mehta, Microsoft Mobiles' managing director for India, said in a recent interview with India Times, suggesting that the Redmond-based tech giant might come down to this plan of offering premium features on cheap devices in several markets across the world.
Specific details of this plan are yet to be disclosed for obvious reasons, but this wouldn't be the first time when Microsoft tries to entice users with an affordable device. Premium features however could really make a difference this time.
Premium features in a cheap device
Citing Microsoft's executive, the aforementioned source mentions Bing search and OneDrive cloud-based storage as the two premium features that could arrive on a Windows Phone device available for $100 (73 Euro) or even below.
Needless to say, these could hardly be considered premium features and Microsoft really needs to tackle this area in a much more effective way in emerging markets. The way it'll do it could help it increase the market share or not.
"My wish is to bring back Nokia (Microsoft Mobiles) to the top, and we're extremely well-positioned to do that with our integration with Microsoft as we can offer a far superior experience to consumers. We need to make the market for Windows Phone," Mehta explained.
Affordable Windows Phones already on their way
Microsoft has this plan going as we speak, as the company is already working to bring more affordable devices to the market and the Lumia 530 could be living proof.
Still not confirmed by Microsoft, the Lumia 530 could launch in the United States next month with prices to start from $69 (55 Euro) on the local market.
And that's not all. People close to the matter claim that the company could bring an even more affordable smartphone running Windows Phone to the market, with the rumored pricing tag currently revolving around $50 (36 Euro). This particular phone, however, is believed to be prepared only for emerging markets where cheap Android devices are still stealing most of the buyers.