Microsoft may be treading water when it comes to Windows Phone adoption in the U.S., but the platform has already narrowly eclipsed the iPhone's market share in China, where the battle has only begun.
After two years, Microsoft has few victories it can claim for the Windows Phone platform, which recently got a shot in the arm here in the U.S. with the debut of the Nokia Lumia 900.
Now, Redmond is ready to proclaim a minor victory for Windows Phone in China, where the mobile OS picked up 7 percent of an extremely lucrative market.
While we hear a lot about how popular Apple's iconic iPhone is in China, the company has barely scratched the surface of what's possible there with a mere 6 percent market share.
Windows phone inches ahead
Although that's an impressive number, Microsoft now claims to have narrowly passed it only two months after Windows Phone made its debut there with seven percent of the market.
"We've only just begun," claims Microsoft COO for the Greater China Region, Michel van der Bel, who is counting on the combination of Windows tablets and smartphones to help the company gain traction there.
Redmond may pat themselves on the back, but the road ahead is fraught with potholes - Google's Android platform currently owns the Chinese market with a whopping 69 percent market share.
