Windows Phone overtakes iOS in China

Microsoft is boasting about a victory over iOS when it comes to the firm’s mobile operating system, although the win has been scored in just the one market: China.

According to an article written by Emerce (via The Register), the Chief Operating Officer for Microsoft in China, Michel van der Bel, said that the Redmond-based company has a smartphone market share of no less than 7 per cent in the country – just two months after the launch of Windows Phone.

That bests Apple’s share of 6 per cent, and while a small victory, is nonetheless a significant one for Microsoft outside of the Western world. That is, should Microsoft’s own figures prove accurate, of course.

It is Android, however, which dominates the Chinese smartphone market massively on a near 70 per cent share.

However, in the Western mobile sphere, Windows Phone is still lagging massively behind iOS, and has yet to make the promised impact on the market, a year and a half after launch now.

And with Apollo, the next major incarnation of Windows Phone, set to be incompatible with existing handsets, we can’t see sales picking up until towards the end of 2012, when Apollo blasts off. Previously analysts had indicated 2012 would be the operating system’s big break.

But as we’ve pointed out before, why buy a handset now which will have its upgrade path stonewalled in six months (or less) time?

Apple, however, will likely continue to struggle in the Chinese market, given the premium pricing on its “wonder-phone”. Unless that budget oriented iPhone rumour ever comes true…