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    Why the Lumia 620 is so important to Nokia: Windows Phone is hammering the iPhone in India

    By Tero Kuittinen | BGR News – Fri, Feb 8, 2013
    Nokia Lumia 620Nokia Lumia 620

    The latest Nielsen survey confirms one of the major smartphone trends of 2012: That the Windows Phone operating system showed remarkable strength in India even before the new wave of Nokia (NOK) and HTC (2498) models launched in January. According to Nielsen, Windows Phone grabbed 8% of India’s smartphone market last autumn, far ahead of BlackBerry (BBRY) at 3% and iPhone at 1%.

    [More from BGR: My problem with ‘phablets’: They’re great for everything except as phones]

    This is probably one of the reasons why Apple (AAPL) has started reconsidering a budget iPhone seriously. Nokia is launching its key budget Windows model, the 620, in a few weeks in India and the pricing is now expected to be around 15,000 rupees. This would be more than 10,000 rupees below the cheapest iPhone. India’s surprisingly strong Windows showing mirrors that of recession-racked Italy, where Windows was able to top a 13% market share in December according to Kantar Worldpanel.

    [More from BGR: 7 million iPhones and iPads have been jailbroken in just four days]

    The key to the market share surge in both regions has been the dirt-cheap Lumia 600/610, which debuted in the previous winter. The successor model 620 has the advantage of not facing a budget BlackBerry or a budget iPhone for at least five months. This is where the fate of the global success of the Windows smartphone camp is now being decided in the coming two quarters. If the 620 cannot become a substantial volume seller in Southern Europe and Southeast Asia, the two strongest regions for Windows right now, the long-term prospects are dim indeed.

    India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world and is largely viewed as a gateway to Southeast Asia. Its phone market is radically different from China, but mirrors important countries like Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia reasonably well. Windows smartphones have a half year window to really burrow into the moderately priced smartphone niche in Southeast Asia before a new value BlackBerry and a possible budget iPhone arrive. Achieving 15-20% market share in the smartphone markets of Southern Europe, Asia and Latin America is probably the minimum requirement for Windows Phone’s long-term survival, since getting to double digit share in North America and Northern Europe is unlikely.


    This article was originally published on BGR.com

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    22 comments

    • GaryM
      GaryM  •  1 day 12 hrs ago
      All Nokia Lumia models have an app named Nokia Music. This is free music streaming they call Mix Radio. 150 different mixes to stream or download to the phone, free. This is one of the things that is making the Lumia so popular overseas.
    • iHatePeople
      iHatePeople  •  1 day 11 hrs ago
      The advantage WP8 has over other phones is that the the OS can still run smoothly on cheap hardware. Try running android on cheap hardware, it's slow and choppy.
    • Widow Maker
      Widow Maker  •  2 days 13 hrs ago
      One advantage that Windows Phone Live Tiles have in Asia over competing platforms is that Tiles display Asian alphabet characters much better than the icons used on other platforms, making them easier and more efficient for users.
    • Jeremy
      Jeremy  •  3 days ago
      I actually enjoy my Windows Phone and Nokia's map app is pretty awesome... It was a lot cheaper and the social apps I do use are both on the iPhone and in the MS Store. I'm also able to control my Xbox with it, plus it's easier for me to look at Excel sheets and other office products. However, the masses seem to love their iPhone(s). To each their own, I guess. I just find it funny that the iPhone will come out with a new feature next year, that every other phone including Android has had for at least two but I digress.
    • Will
      Will  •  2 days 22 hrs ago
      I am wanting to be getting degree in the computer science, and am needing to be studying on my phone.
      • iHatePeople
        iHatePeople 1 day 11 hrs ago
        Computer Science requires a lot of calculus and different compilers that don't run on phones. I have no idea what you would study on a phone.
    • Life's a Beach
      Life's a Beach  •  3 days ago
      After the Lumia 620 for China is available, apple will be number 3 in smartphones next year with Nokia number 2. Nokia has a deal with the biggest provider in China. Most folks cannot afford the Lumia 920 in SEA and most will do with a cheaper phone that they can send text messages and make calls.
    • Big Joe
      Big Joe  •  2 days 5 hrs ago
      If the cell carriers changed the way they subsidize phones these would take off in the US as well. But for now, why pay $50 for a $200 phone when you can pay $150 for a $600 dollar phone and the date and voice plans are the same price. If the subsidies were gone, the monthly bills would go way down, and cheaper phones would be all the rage.
    • Sir Nebo
      Sir Nebo  •  1 day 21 hrs ago
      Keep that Garbage in India......
    • Xrated
      Xrated  •  1 day 11 hrs ago
      Seems like everytime Nokia releases a Windows phone we get the "Why this model is so important for Nokia" or "Will this model save Nokia"
    • kevin t
      kevin t  •  1 day 14 hrs ago
      Can you imagine your phone keep asking you for request updates!
     Post a comment

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