2012 was a remarkable year in many ways for Microsoft in the mobile space. Although Android and iOS haven’t exactly been put out of business yet, the formal launch of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 has been met by a considerable amount of enthusiasm from the developer community.
On Wednesday, Todd Brix, Microsoft’s Senior Director for Windows Marketplace, publicly reflected on his company’s progress in mobile during the past year. And developer enthusiasm was corroborated with some pretty impressive data.
“Over the last year,” Brix admitted, “we’ve certified and published over 75,000 new apps and games (more than doubling the catalog size) and over 300,000 app updates. In addition, this year we added the capability for customers to tell us if they have a concern about an app.”
As a direct result of our investments, Windows Phone customers now download, buy, and use more apps than at any time since we first launched Windows Phone 7 two years ago.
The typical or average Windows Phone user downloaded 54 apps to personalize their phone experience in 2012.
While Microsoft still has a way to go before it can lay clam to disrupting the smartphone duopoly enjoyed by Android and iOS, the software giant and burgeoning mobile maven has undeniable momentum going into the new year.
