Something which hasn’t happened in recent memory has finally happened in the world’s largest democracy. With Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has found a firm foothold in the mobile space in India. Hard to believe? Trust me it is as true as it gets. Let this article clear all your doubts.
The Grind is Over
The grind for Microsoft finally seems to get over. From the much awaited 7.5 firmware bump, to the recently happened re launching of the platform as Windows Phone 8 this time flaunts a shared core with Windows itself, the graph for the Windows platform in India has been unswervingly up and to the right. When it comes to emerging markets such as India, iOS happens to be almost completely out of the picture. In the case of emerging markets, consumer income tends to be lower than in North America and Europe, therefore customers in India, China, and similar regions often can’t afford devices from Apple. Thus the main competition exists between android and windows OS.
Windows Phone developers are needed to use Microsoft’s commerce engine for In-App Purchases, which enables them to completely support carrier billing or the usage of other payment methods such as scratch cards, e-wallets and other such regional variations. Developers of Google Play on the other hand, necessarily have to stick with Google’s approved solutions. Apparently Google has threatened to remove apps from Google Play that implement third-party payment solutions
What has been a win for Microsoft is the Windows Phone 8 software development, demonstrating new, and larger developer interest in the platform.
The new tools that Microsoft has provided have found huge support, as the organization made it simpler to create applications that can run both on Windows and Windows 8. This means that a very important ingredient of any mobile platform, developer support, is something that Windows Phone is currently enjoying as never before.
The Developers Are Here
Initially, many developers ignored Android because iOS had such visible dominant market share. But that wait-and-watch attitude just allowed other app developers to step into the Android space and make big profits without the fear of competition. In the current scenario, Windows Phone and Windows 8 developers are experiencing the same thing, especially when it comes to countries like India, Brazil, Russia and China.
As for the hardware, Microsoft’s new set of devices is selling at four times the rate of last year’s crop and has definitely made a great advancement.The Nokia Lumia series has been spear heading the growth chart for Microsoft’s Windows platform in India. A total of seven Windows Phone devices, namely Nokia Lumia 520, 620, 625, 720, 820, 920 and 925, are available in the country. Lumia series is also assisting Nokia build up on its lost confidence in the market.
With rising developer interest, amazingly improved sales, and almost doubled app downloads and profits, we can finally graduate Windows Phone from the minors to the majors in India. You cannot keep Bill Gates out of the business for too long. Can you?