Android and iOS still continue to dominate the mobile market, but Microsoft is doing all it can to carve out a portion for Windows 10 Mobile.
Among Windows Phone users, about 14 percent have made the switch to Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft’s new, reworked operating system that marries the mobile and desktop experiences. This means that a majority of Windows Phone users are still stuck on version 8.1.
Taking a look at the numbers, things don’t look great for Microsoft. The overall Windows Phone market is at 0.7 percent worldwide, and Windows 10 Mobile is an even smaller percentage of that.
Considering that the app gap on Windows already leaves the platform in the gutter, Microsoft is hoping its new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps can revitalize app development. It’s definitely an interesting idea, one that essentially allows app developers to make one app that scales on multiple devices.
This would mean that the Netflix App on Windows 10 will be the same app on mobile. Microsoft has now also extended UWP to Xbox One, opening the door for more gaming-centric apps to jump toward the platform.
Technically speaking, Windows 10 for Mobile is a relatively new operating system. It launched last year with the release of the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. While initially promising, it turned out to be a buggy affair on the consumer level. The idea was to bring the smartphone even closer to the laptop. It supported a UI that resembled Windows 10 more than Windows 8, and also allowed users to plug in their phone to an external monitor and use a lighter version of Windows 10.
Very few manufacturers, including Microsoft, are adding Windows Phone products into the marketplace. But many fans are holding out hope that Microsoft’s Surface team is hard at work on a refreshed device.
