As IDC predict that, in smartphone market share terms, Microsoft‘s Windows Phone 7/Mobile will overtake Apple‘s iOS by 2016 some suggest that renaming Windows is a possibility.
Microsoft Windows, first introduced in 1985 is certainly very 20th century and we can’t help somehow, no doubt unfairly, linking it to MS-DOS!
We occasionally comment on brand valuations and globally Microsoft figures prominently (as per Interbrand‘s graphic ) but we can’t recall being overwhelmed with Windows dominance although Interbrand, as an acknowledged expert in the field, in their “What’s in Store for 2012” review are firmly of a “rising from the ashes” view!
“For the past half a century, the value of technology has been to push the boundaries of productivity. And while business technology is still evaluated against this metric, in the world of consumer technology a tidal shift is underway. In 2012, expect to see people seeking out tech that delivers compelling experiences, not just features and functionality. Take RIM’s BlackBerry versus Microsoft’s Windows Phone. The former is in a death spiral while the other is a phoenix reborn on account of the singular focus on delivering a clear experience. Brands that deliver on this trend — even those that have fallen from the leaderboards as of late — will find themselves gaining traction amongst users looking for more than just getting more done.”
Looking at the overall competitive names per IDC we have in 2016:
- Android
- Windows
- iOS
- Blackberry
If we, sort of, expand the scenario a little to include tablets and apps there, to us, can only be one winner – the “i” has it of course. A compelling coherent eco-naming system consisting of iPhones iPads iOS and iTunes. The iTunes name is possibly not the strongest but, we think, beats Google Play hands down!
As far as the IDC predictions are concerned, having brought our calculator into use and concentrating on their market share figures plus the 2012 given of 686 million units we think the numbers might look like:
Smartphone Units (millions) forecasts from market share | ||
2012 | 2016 | |
Android | 418 | 585 |
Windows 7/Mobile | 36 | 212 |
iOS | 141 | 210 |
Blackberry | 41 | 65 |
Other | 50 | 33 |
TOTAL | 686 | 1,105 |
Source IDC & I.co.uk calculations |
Finally we see that someone already reckons Windows phones are faster!