Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system will grow to a 4 percent share of the US smartphones market this year, from an estimated 3 percent in 2011, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. Nokia, HTC and Samsung will be among the main hardware vendors driving growth. Microsoft's OS is expected to take 4 percent of the estimated 123 million smartphones sold in the US this year. Strategy Analytics said the software is still a "niche" OS, and in order to grow further, future versions such as Windows Phone 8 will need to "dramatically" improve support for advanced technologies like multi-core chipsets, enhance the Marketplace app store, expand the number of phone models available from major partners like Nokia or Samsung, and consider reducing the license fees it charges per unit to smartphone makers.
