“Happy Bday, “MetroUI”! 3 yrs ago today WP7 launched. In just a few countries on just one chip with only a handful of apps,” Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore stated on Twitter eariler today. Microsoft is celebrating the third birthday of the company’s Windows Phone platform and the introduction of the Metro/Modern user interface.
For those that don’t remember, Windows Phone 7 made its debut back in 2010 and brought us the new Metro/Modern interface. Fast forward to today, we see a plethora of Windows Phone devices out there, with the majority of them being from Nokia.
While the market share needs work, the platform has indeed grown when you look at the big picture. Starting from a few apps, the Windows Phone Store now has over 170,000 apps.
According to data from ComScore, Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform currently holds a 3.2% market share as of August 2013. The platform has held a 3% market share in the United States as of July 2013. Windows Phone also posted its highest ever sales share of 9.2% across the five major European markets recently.
Microsoft’s Metro platform eventually was renamed to “Microsoft Design Language” back in 2012 due to a dispute over the Metro name. The design language revolves around simplicity, less images, and more on typography.
So lets all take this moment to wish Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform and the Metro UI a happy third birthday!
