Is the decline inevitable? With less than 1% market share, what happened to Microsoft WP?

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In the PC world, Microsoft is undoubtedly the dominant player. Net Applications data shows that in July, the Windows operating system market share reached 90.66%, and no one can shake its dominance. However, when it comes to mobile operating systems, Microsoft's signature Windows Phone is almost a marginalized player. Especially in the Asian market, its share is not even worthy of separate data.

According to data released by Kantar, a research organization, the share of WP in China has dropped to 0.5% as of June this year, down from 1.2% in the same period last year and 1% last month. In Japan, the share is less than 0.1%.

Looking at the Chinese market alone, a 0.5% share means there are probably only a few million users, which is not even as much as the shipments of many mobile phone manufacturers in a quarter. So, why did WP fall so low?

From the beginning, WP entered the market too late. Android was founded as early as 2003, and Google officially launched an open source mobile operating system based on the Linux 2.6 standard kernel on November 5, 2007. Another major operating system, iOS, was even worse, having announced the system on January 9, 2007. WP was actually announced in 2010, nearly three years later.

In fact, timing is not the only factor. Android and iOS were launched later than Symbian, but both are much better than Symbian in terms of experience. iOS is a closed system with a very open experience, while Android is a completely open system. WP is a closed system, but the experience is not as good as iOS, so it is naturally difficult to break through.

Missing the opportunity led to a chain reaction: developers were unwilling to participate. The Alipay wallet of the WP system had not been updated for more than a year, and the last update was in August last year, which was also nearly a year ago. In sharp contrast, when the watch was officially launched on March 10, the Alipay wallet had already launched a version adapted for the watch on the evening of March 11. For developers, the main focus of APP development must be on iOS and Android. The number of WP users is small, and it is not worth spending labor costs. The more this is the case, the fewer users there will be, thus forming a vicious circle.

In addition, due to the closed nature of WP, a large number of manufacturers have turned to the Android system. Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Coolpad, etc., almost all mainstream domestic manufacturers have chosen Android. These mobile phone manufacturers have adopted effective marketing strategies, leaving mobile phone manufacturers equipped with WP systems with almost no chance. As mainstream mobile phone manufacturers expand into multiple fields, the Android system has gradually extended from mobile phones to smart homes, smart TVs and other fields. WP has been squeezed out to the point where it has no way out.

Microsoft has not paid enough attention to WP. When Alibaba was promoting the Yun OS3.0 system, it reached cooperation with mobile phone manufacturers such as Meizu and Philips, and with home appliance manufacturers such as Skyworth and Haier, but there is no sign of Microsoft's efforts in the WP system.

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Data shows that Android and iOS systems account for more than 98% of the market share, which means that WP is basically in a marginalized position, just like Samsung's Tizen system and Symbian system. Perhaps due to its security and smooth features, a small number of users will stick to the WP system, but its decline is almost a foregone conclusion.