Microsoft: Windows Phone sales up 300 percent

Sales of Windows Phone 8 handsets have taken off just one month after the devices were introduced, according to Microsoft.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, told shareholders in a meeting on Wednesday that sales of Windows Phone-based handsets in the month since launch were 300-percent higher than the same period last year.

However, Ballmer did not say exactly how many devices have been sold, and the earlier generation of Windows Phone handsets, running Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 7.5, have not sold particularly well.

Analyst house Gartner estimates for the fourth quarter of 2011, Windows Phone sales were around 2.8 million. Should the platform see its fourth-quarter sales for 2012 remain 300-percent higher than those of 2011, Microsoft can expect to shift around 11 million devices.

Microsoft also launched its first Windows 8-based tablet, the Surface, at the same time as Windows Phone 8, marking a move away from its traditional software-centric business model into one that sees it producing more of its own hardware. Following the release of the Surface RT, rumours circulated online speculating that Microsoft would follow with its own Windows Phone 8-based hardware.

"Focusing on devices and services will impact how we run the company, how we develop new experiences and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses. The work we have accomplished in the past year and the road map in front of us brings this to life," Ballmer told shareholders on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Microsoft also confirmed that it was working to make the Windows Phone 7.8 update available to existing handsets by "early 2013". Most notably, the update will introduce the resizable tiles found on the home screen.

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-windows-phone-sales-up-300-percent-7000008089/

I hope Windows Phone will be a success. It's my most favorite SP OS, even though I "only" got a Lumia 800 with WP 7.5 (soon 7.8).

Sales are ramping up, and no nay-sayers can say otherwise.

No, but they'll find a way to minimize it.  They always do.

I'm not part of this increase, though.  I wanted a Lumia 920, but I'm on Verizon so ... c'est la vie.  My Trophy will have to hang in there unless I win an 8X from Bing Rewards.  

Curious if a Surface Phone will be announced at either CES or MWC.  Hopefully it would be available on Verizon bands, but at this rate I don't know even know if that's worth entertaining, as that is all speculation and blind hope ...

why so defensive?

windows phone is to smartphones as vita is to gaming

Seriously, you selected a random blog post from back in September to troll with?  How about we look at something actually timely and relevant, shall we?  If there was a story like that for the Vita, it'd be grand news.

I like Windows phone better than Android. My next phone might be a Windows phone. Hope they succeed I always root for the underdog.

oh my, 2 months olds.  soo entirely old it is completely irrelavant..

i picked it because it was the first source i found with real numbers to put the intentionally cherry picked and misleading stat in the OP in actual context.

The IDC report says that 5.4 million Windows Phone devices were sold in the quarter, for a 3.5% market share, up from 2.3% a year previously."

and besides, i really care so little about windows phone i would generally not even be able to take the effort to comment on it.  but since you took the effort to go and ask to be have windows phone made fun of how could i disappoint?  that would just be rude.

but but but Windows Phone does not sell haha

Windows Phone is just picking up, it will be massive in a few years.

im buying Andorid today though.