Windows Phone, Android And iOS Enjoyed A Holiday Bump In The U.S., BlackBerry Cratered

During the November to February period, Windows Phone, Android and iOS picked up market share in the U.S. smartphone game.

Windows Phone grew the most in real percentage terms — 0.3 percent — and in terms of relative percentage growth — 9.7 percent more share compared to its previous tally of 3.1 percent. That pace of growth, while better than holding fast for the holiday season, does indicate that Microsoft’s ability to increase its market share in its growing home market remains limited.

That Microsoft needs to reach 10 percent market share has become a mantra. At its last pace, it would take the company 22 quarters to hit that mark, or five-and-a-half years. That’s a bit too long. Microsoft ended the period with 3.4 percent market share.

Android grew by 0.2 percent to 52.1 percent market share in the U.S., while Apple picked up another 0.1 percent to end up with a 41.3 percent share.

If the top three grew, what fell? BlackBerry. During the period, the company lost 0.6 percent market share, or 17 percent of its former tally to end at 2.9 percent. So BlackBerry started the holiday season ahead of Windows Phone in the United States and ended far behind it.

A small victory for Microsoft, and a real one.

Call it stasis in motion: things are not changing much. Apple and Google run the show, Microsoft wants more of the action but remains a minor player, and BlackBerry continues to fall from the sky, on fire and visibly disintegrating.

IMAGE BY FLICKR USER Kenneth Lu UNDER CC BY 2.0 LICENSE (IMAGE HAS BEEN CROPPED) 

T-Mobile CEO Fires Back After Losing BlackBerry Sales Arrangement

An Open Letter – and Offer – to BlackBerry Loyal
By John Legere, President and Chief Executive Officer

April 3, 2014

Being America’s Un-carrier is simply this. It’s about listening to and advocating on behalf of US wireless consumers. That’s it. The simple act that first ignited this Un-carrier revolution – and set T-Mobile apart from the entire US wireless industry – was that we listened to the customer. And that changed everything.

And, of course, that goes for the BlackBerry loyal, too. We hear you and stand with you. We always have and always will. So, obviously, we were disappointed in BlackBerry’s decision this week to end their agreement with us.

But here’s what really matters most for BlackBerry owners. Whether you’re an individual customer or business customer, nothing changes. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

If you’re already with T-Mobile, you can continue to count on us for the great service you’ve come to expect, the regular OS updates, and, of course, America’s fastest nationwide 4G LTE network. None of that changes as far as we’re concerned.

And, if you own any BlackBerry that works on our network and also want the fairness and freedom that comes with being a T-Mobile customer, you can bring in your BlackBerry any time and enjoy Un-carrier benefits like no annual contract, unlimited everything with no overages on our wicked-fast network, no hidden device costs, no upgrade wait – and international roaming at no extra cost. And, don’t forget, you get to enjoy your BlackBerry with all of these Un-carrier advantages on America’s fastest nationwide 4G LTE network.
In fact, to show our appreciation for all current consumers so passionate and loyal to all things BlackBerry, we’re offering a $100 credit toward any new device, including the BlackBerry Q10 or the Z10. And this offer is good through the end of the year. So you can take your time.

One thing you can count on from us: we’ll keep listening to you and finding new ways to meet the needs of BlackBerry users – individuals and businesses – everywhere. But we’re not done. Stay tuned for another Un-carrier offer that gives you more value and even more reasons to stay with America’s fastest growing wireless company.

I’ll always fight for you. And our team remains committed to providing the same great Un-carrier experience to all BlackBerry users. At the end of the day, this has got to be about you – the customer.