Microsoft India bets big on Windows 10 OS to boost smartphone presence

NEW DELHI: Microsoft India is betting big on the new Windows 10 operating system to boost its presence in the smartphone segment after partnerships with domestic vendors failed to bring it success in the surging market.

“We were not very happy with the results. The portfolios of our local vendors are based on Android predominantly. But we believe there will be a huge opportunity when we get to the Windows 10 OS,” said Vineet Durani, Director - Windows Business Group at Microsoft Corporation India. “We continue to work with these players to see what that opportunity will be with the new OS.”

Windows 10 is the software company’s new, unified platform for personal computers, two-in-one devices or tablets, and smartphones. The company had tied up last year with Micromax, India’s second-largest smartphone vendor, and Lava’s Xolo, iBall and Celkon. While these partnerships brought down prices of Windows phones in the country, they were not able to increase market share, which was about 3.7% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2014, according to Counterpoint Research.

The Indian smartphone market is dominated by Google’s Android operating system with a 92.8% share and Apple’s iOS with about 2.5%, Counterpoint Research said.

Microsoft is banking big on its Lumia-branded devices, which it acquired from Nokia. “Our core smartphone strategy still revolves around Lumia devices. In some of the price bands, we have got double-digit market share,” Durani said. Lumia devices had a 3.6% smartphone market share in India.

The Windows 10 platform will be free for manufacturers producing devices with screens that are smaller than nine inches, which means for any smartphone or smaller tablet.

Microsoft needs the support of original equipment manufacturers, along with the traction of its affordable Lumia smartphones, to achieve critical mass in emerging smartphone regions such as India, according to Counterpoint’s senior analyst Tarun Pathak. “It will need more devices like the recently launched affordable Lumia 430 that can be upgraded to Windows 10,” he added.

One reason for the low uptake of Windows phones has been the limited availability of apps and games.

“The bigger challenge comes when people look at gaming. At the global games front, we have had some challenges in terms of ensuring their availability on our app store,” Durani said.

The biggest USP of Windows 10 is that it will unify the Windows OS experience across devices and in turn generate app developers’ interest, Durani said. Pathak said the concept of universal apps will increase developers’ monetisation opportunity.

Microsoft will release Windows 10 around August in 190 countries in 111 languages. Just as desktop users of Windows 7 and above will have the option of a free upgrade to Windows 10, so will Windows Phone 8.1 users.