The Business Standard has posted an interview Karan Bajwa, managing director of Microsoft India, and it contains a few Windows Phone relevant titbits.
In the interview, which was published 13/11/2014, Bajwa notes that Windows Phone has managed to maintain its position as the second largest ecosystem in the sub-continent, with him saying:
Very clearly, we continue to maintain our number two position in the Windows phone from an India mobile market standpoint. There is excitement about the upcoming portfolio, localisation of the portfolio for India.
He noted that Microsoft was also excited about the new OEMs they have brought onto the table, with Bajwa saying:
A large part of our focus is on working with OEM (original equipment makers) partners. Traditionally, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve built a third-party ecosystem on the Microsoft platform that leverages the value of software and builds those platforms. So, it is the large ecosystem that we have. And, now, we are expanding that to include the local OEMs as well, for the phone and for the tablets.
On the competition he noted:
On the phone side and the tablet side, we’re not closed to the fact that there is an Android ecosystem which is way larger than what it needs to be or it should be. We will do whatever it takes to continue building share on that.
Fitting in with the increasingly cross-platform ethos of Microsoft he however confirmed Microsoft was willing to work with the Android installed base, saying:
… we don’t have our eyes closed to the fact that there is a very large Android ecosystem on the phone and the tablet side. I see it as a clear opportunity on the commercial side, where we traditionally have a strong Windows’ value engagement. Building that value engagement from PCs (personal computers) on to tablets is a very natural consequence, as these people have started opting for tablets.
GFK has recently revealed Microsoft Mobile has 12% smartphone market share in India, with Samsung having 33% and Micromax having 18%
Read the full interview at Business Standard here.