Investors have just received some good news for Microsoft (MSFT +0.66%) on the smartphone front. The software giant is seeing Windows Phone jump to over 10% market share in multiple key European markets like Great Britain and France, according to the latest estimates from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Windows Phone is flirting with double-digit threshold in areas like Italy and Germany as well. Much of this growth is on the low end with Nokia (NOK 1.71%) devices like the Lumia 520 and Lumia 620, which address price-conscious demographics.
Google (GOOG +2.53%) Android appears to have plateaued after quickly rising to grab 70% of the European market. The search giant will find meaningful growth in the future harder to come by following several years of rapid Android adoption. Android OEMs will continue to compete within the platform, but Google has cemented its position as the top operating system in the region.
Apple (AAPL +1.18%) was also able to grow its European market share to 16.1%. The Mac maker still has challenges in markets like Spain, which is largely an unsubsidized market facing macro-economic headwinds. On the bright side, Apple is doing extremely well in Japan. Android and iOS each have approximately a 48% market share in Japan, but Apple is expected to see a spike in the country following the iPhone launch (the data only goes through August). The addition of NTT DoCoMo as an official carrier partner will also play a role.
In today's episode of Tech Teardown, Erin Kennedy discusses the latest market share stats with Evan Niu, CFA.
