Microsoft's mobile platform will grow, IDC says

Aug 27, 2015 05:11 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is making big efforts to boost its mobile market share and become a more powerful rival to Android and iOS, and Windows 10 Mobile is the company's next key step, but a report by IDC estimates that, despite all of these, the growth won't be as significant as everyone expects it to be.

In a new research posted online today, the market analysis firm says that Windows Phone is expected to grow from 2.6 percent in 2015 to 3.6 percent in 2019, which represents an increase of only 1 percent in four years.

The number of sold phones is likely to grow from 36.9 million to 67.8 million, which means it should almost double, but the growth of the other platforms would keep Windows 10 Mobile behind rivals.

Android is likely to maintain its 81.1 percent market share over the years, IDC says, while iOS will most likely drop from 15.6 percent this year, to 14.2 percent in 2019.

Phablets for the win

Interestingly, IDC estimates that phablets will gain more ground in the coming years, pointing out that they will continue to drive shipment volumes in both emerging and developed markets.

"Since Apple finally delivered a larger screen smartphone with the iPhone 6+, the demand for large screened devices among consumers has been at a record high," said Anthony Scarsella, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phones team. "Smartphones featuring display sizes from 5.5 inches to 6 inches are forecast to grow 84% in 2015 compared to last year, while devices featuring 5”-7” screens will make up over 71% of shipments by 2019."

In other words, Microsoft's playing its cards right here, as the company is getting ready to introduce the new Lumia 950 XL, a new device coming with a 5.7-inch display and running Windows 10 Mobile. The phone is expected to debut in October together with the new operating system.