Analysts are lowering their forecasts regarding the bright future of the Windows Phone mobile platform. So far, however, it is not very significant.
Two analytical firms, IHS iSuppli and IDC, were among those research companies that assured that sales of Windows Phone devices would surpass iPhone sales by 2015 (maximum, by 2016). Their forecasts were based on the assumption that Symbian users would switch to Windows Phone devices (perhaps the close cooperation of Nokia and Microsoft played a role in assessing the market). However, analysts’ expectations did not come true. Of course, Symbian users are “to blame” for everything, who, instead of switching to WP, began to switch to Android.
Wayne Lam, a wireless communications analyst at IHS, said that his firm “threw out” its winter forecast regarding Windows Phone sales. Now IHS believes that in 2015 the platform will follow the current leaders, and not become one of them.
In January, Lam wrote that the Nokia Lumia 900 would be the beginning of a “renaissance” for both Microsoft and Nokia. Moreover, he assured that Microsoft Phone would have 16.7% of the market by 2015, that is, slightly more than iOS would have in the same year, according to his own forecasts.
As for IDC, its representative stated that he had lowered his expectations regarding the platform slightly. According to his forecasts, the market share of Windows Phone by 2016 will be 20.1%, not 20.9% as previously predicted.
The reason for the decrease in expectations is as follows: employers in the United States no longer force employees to use corporate devices at work, so instead of BlackBerry and Windows Phone, Android and iOS devices are now familiar in the workplace.
In general, analysts still perceive WP as a potentially successful product. However, whether they believe in their own forecasts, according to which, by the end of this year, WP sales should be from 30 to 40 million devices, or just trying to save face with a bad game is a big question.