14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phones are among the cheapest smartphones available for sale, but that’s mostly due to Microsoft targeting emerging markets with its budget-friendly handsets.
Several native OEMs have also launched a few smartphones in their countries, but they also target the low-end segment of the market. Unfortunately, the adoption rate is nothing that would make it profitable for OEMs to continue to launch Windows Phone handsets in the future.
At least that’s what Huawei’s Head of International Media Affairs Joe Kelly claims. In an interview for Seattle Times, Kelly was pretty blunt when referring to Huawei’s rather short experience with the Windows Phone platform.
The Ascend W1 and Ascend W2 are the only Windows Phone handsets launched by Huawei since the new operating system was released by Microsoft.
When asked about Huawei’s Windows Phone business, Kelly said that his company did not make any money from it. Then, he went on and said that “nobody made any money in Windows Phone.”
That’s a bold statement considering that Huawei may not have all the financial results of the companies that have released Windows Phone handsets in the last couple of years.
However, since many of the handset makers with experience in the smartphone business seem to avoid launching Windows Phone devices, this should be an indication that profits are low to say the least.
Huawei is not the only company that previously announced that it would stop releasing Windows Phone handsets for a while due to the low sales. Another major handset manufacturer that issued a similar statement is LG.
Many OEMs haven't decided yet if they will continue to launch Windows Phone handsets next year
In order to offer customers a wider range of options when it comes to choosing the right Windows Phone handsets, Microsoft made deals with OEMs to bring cheap smartphones on local markets.
That was supposed to counterbalance the loss of important brands such as LG, Huawei and possibly Samsung, which released Windows Phone handsets in the past, but don’t seem to be willing to continue to do it.
With only a month left until the rumored reveal of the Windows Phone 10, the future of Microsoft’s OS seems bleak if we are to take into consideration Joe Kelly’s recent statement.
Also, the numbers seems to agree with Huawei’s decision not to release Windows Phone handsets anymore, as Microsoft’s mobile platform hasn’t even reached 5% market share worldwide.
This makes Windows Phone 10 reveal even more important for the future of Microsoft’s operating system. Many OEMs are still waiting for the first details to be confirmed in order to decide whether or not they will launch new Windows Phone handsets next year.
Unfortunately, regardless of Microsoft’s announcement, Huawei, LG and other important companies will not be among those that will compete on the smartphone market with Windows Phone handsets.
What do you think about Windows Phone’s current status? What needs to be changed so that Microsoft’s OS could gain a bit more traction on the smartphone market, aside from more devices launched by more companies? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
