Windows Mobile obtains a market share of 3% in Q3 2010 according to Canalys

Although early reports indicate what appears to be a successful launch of Windows Phone 7 over in Europe, Microsoft's aging Windows Mobile platform has reached an all time new low for their market share. According to Canalys, Microsoft's last generation mobile platform was able to achieve a paltry 3 percent market share during Q3 2010. When 80 millions smartphones were shipped during that time period, Microsoft's share consists of only 2.4 million handsets sold – which is down 600,00 units versus the amount they obtained in Q2 2010 where they held a 5 percent stake.

Meanwhile, the biggest gainer in this competitive space is none other than Google's Android platform which took in a market share of 43.6 percent – a growth of 1,309 percent from the same period last year. When looking down at the hardcore numbers, that basically accounts for 20 million units shipped in Q3 2010 versus the 1.4 million they did a year ago. Apple of course continues to see some positive marks, despite falling behind Google, as they're keeping ahead of RIM at 26.2 percent.

Needless to say that Microsoft has an uphill battle to climb before it can truly contend with the bigger names in the industry, but if the good word of mouth spreading about Windows Phone 7 continues, it will have enough momentum to steer Microsoft back to the correct position. When you consider how well Windows Phone 7 is executing for being a brand new platform, it has some remarkable aspects that can leverage the platform over others. Canalys Principal Analyst Chris Jones said, “the integration of Microsoft service assets, such as Xbox Live, Bing, Zune and Office, greatly strengthens the proposition and we are confident that the initial array of products will perform well.”

source: Canalys via WMPoweruser