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Windows Mobile outsold iPhone in 2H 2007

Feb. 11, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

While Apple conveniently fails to accurately portray the iPhone's real market share, Microsoft today announced figures that puts Apple's smart phone-like device in context. In the second half of 2007, Microsoft's partners shold 14.3 million Windows Mobile phones. This compares to 4 million iPhones that Apple sold in the same time period.

Put another way, Windows Mobile outsold the iPhone by over 3 to 1.

Discuss this Article 11

daProject
on Feb 11, 2008
Sorry Paul, but this is a BS post. Apple is in the business of selling phones, not phone operating systems. Why would they compare themselves to the collective "Windows Mobile" when their direct competitors are RIM, Nokia, Motorola et al?
xtreem0
on Feb 11, 2008
well if you do it by number of OS's sold as you put it. Yes the iphone has there os on it. As all you people have been saying its a operating system on your phone. Then again there are more windows mobile os's sold then apple mobile os's sold this 2007.
DRWAM
on Feb 11, 2008
Xtreemo and Paul have a good point, because a smartphone is only smart because of it's OS.
Tero
on Feb 11, 2008
What Paul is not telling you is that Windows Mobile itself gets seriously outsold by the competition as well. Canalys has released the smartphone market shares for 2007. It puts Windows Mobile (as well as Microsoft's hardware partners) "in the context," as Paul would say it. Canalyst's own site is currently down, so here's another link to the data: http://www.canalpda.com/2008/02/05/5640-smart+mobile+device+shipments+hi...
cesjr
on Feb 11, 2008
Paul, You know full well that it's not Apple that computing market share for the iPhone. It's Canalys. And in the U.S. - the only place the iPhone was on sale for all of 2H, Apple outsold all windows mobile devices: "Canalys estimates that Apple took 28% share of the fast growing US converged device market in Q4 2007, behind RIM’s 41%, but a long way ahead of third placed Palm on 9%. This was also enough to put Apple ahead of all Windows Mobile device vendors combined, whose share was 21% in the quarter according to Canalys figures. " http://www.canalys.com/pr/2008/r2008021.htm If you have some gripe with Canalys' figures, the least you could do - if you had any shred of integrity and honestly -- would be to acknowledge that Canalys is the source of Apple's figures and then explain why you think they are wrong. Instead you pathetically hide the source of the data from your readers - that's lame.
pthurrott
on Feb 11, 2008
daProject: The iPhone is a vehicle for OS X, just like the Mac. It makes more sense to compare the iPhone to other phone platforms than it does to individual phone makers. As Steve Jobs said, last year, "Apple is a software company." cejr: I don't know what "Canalys" is. I am comparing what Apple said it sold to what Microsoft said it sold in the same time period.
cesjr
on Feb 11, 2008
Paul, Really? I find it hard to believe you haven't read all the stories about how the iPhone outsold windows mobile in Q4 in the U.S.. Every story cites Canalys as the source of the market share data. Here's one - http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/06/Apple-beats-Microsoft-Motorola... Apple, on its website, cites this article - iPhone finishes a strong second in Q4 phone sales “Even after being on the market for less than half a year,” reports Nancy Gohring (IDG News Service), “more iPhones sold in the fourth quarter than Windows Mobile phones in the U.S., according to research from Canalys.” The research suggest that “iPhone had 28 percent of the U.S. converged-device market in the fourth quarter of 2007” with Research in Motion coming in with 41% and Windows Mobile phones with a 21% share. [Feb 06, 2008]. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/ So apple is just report the U.S. market share figures reported by an independent company - again I find it very hard to believe you didn't know this.
Tero
on Feb 11, 2008
"The iPhone is a vehicle for OS X, just like the Mac. It makes more sense to compare the iPhone to other phone platforms than it does to individual phone makers." So... why aren't you actually comparing it to the other phone platforms, then, if that is so important? The iPhone is a consumer product. Consumers do not buy mobile phone software platforms; they just buy (end) products. That is, a combination of software, hardware and some brand. The iPhone should be compared to both software platforms (if that is so important) as well as other end products against which it competes. You know, the stuff that sits on the store shelves and that people actually pay money for. "As Steve Jobs said, last year, "Apple is a software company." " Sure. All consumer electronics makers have said that. No one does hardware any more. Curious.
Tero
on Feb 11, 2008
"I don't know what "Canalys" is." Hint: There was a link in my very first post. Another Hint: Google is your friend on this kind of matters. Yes. Sometimes it finds stuff, and not only stores it on you.
daProject
on Feb 11, 2008
@ Paul Sorry, but that just isn't the right line of thinking. When a consumer goes into a phone store, most are not looking for a "Windows" phone. They are comparing the BlackBerry to the Nokia. They are buying the RAZR or the iPhone. Or the N95. They aren't thinking "how does Symbian compare to OSX mobile". Corporations perhaps, but not the end user. While on an indirect level OSX competes with Windows Mobile, it would be crazy to think Apple sees it as its main competition over the actual vendors. I don't recall Apple *ever* referring to Windows Mobile. From the keynote to the comparison spec sheet, its always been about the Treo, Blackjack, N95 and whatnot. Apple sells phones. Microsoft sells mobile operating systems. There is a subtle difference. Its like you are saying that Ferrari's main competition is an engine manufacturer. On some level yes, but Ferrari are not going to be comparing Ferrari market share and profits to an engine manufacturer. They will compare it to Lamborghini and Porche Now if Microsoft relaunch the Sidekick, then we can compare those directly.
fivepoint
on Feb 13, 2008
While I do not agree with those posting that the 'os doesn't matter' and that the iPhone should be compared only against phone manufacturers, it is true that in the US (the iPhone's only major market), the iPhone outsold all Windows phone vendors. This is obviously an indication of where the rest of the world is heading, just like computer sales. Paul, the biggest fault in your argument is that you dont' consider dollars. Obviously by comparing Apple to Microsoft in this realm you are trying to find out who is more successful in the cell phone arena. The problem for Microsoft, is that they are only selling a certain part of that phone, where as Apple is selling the WHOLE thing and making the WHOLE profit. They are making WAY more money on each phone than Microsoft is. Apple is set to dominage Microsoft, Palm, and even Symbian in the cell phone market. STop trying so hard to deny it... it makes you look like a biased shill. You're better than that Paul.

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