Windows Phone: Fastest-Growing Mobile Platform For 2012?

According to a study by Strategy Analytics, the Windows Phone mobile OS will show stronger growth than any other mobile platform in Europe in 2012.

The research predicts that Microsoft will double its share in the European smartphone market from 6% in 2011 to 12% in 2012.

This growth, the study suggests, will be largely driven by Microsoft's new hardware partners, most importantly Nokia, but also Samsung and HTC.

One manufacturer, who will remain anonymous, has already told us that Microsoft's platform is becoming increasingly important in the market. This particular phone maker told us that they could no longer afford to keep all their eggs in the Android basket—especially in light of Google's recent acquisition of Motorola. The manufacturer went on to explain that from next year, they would be seeking to balance out their product range more effectively to provide a good choice of both Windows 8 and Android 4 models.

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