Windows Phone overtakes BlackBerry OS for the first time, now at third spot

Nokia accounts for 79 per cent of Windows Phone sales as Korean giant Samsung and Taiwan's HTC seem to have lost interest in the operating system.

Windows Phone has, for the first time, overtaken BlackBerry to become the third-largest operating system for smartphones in the world, latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) show.

Google's Android and Apple's iOS remain the largest and second-largest smartphone operating systems worldwide and together accounted for 92.3 per cent of all shipments in the January-to-March quarter of 2013.

Shipments of smartphones powered by Android and iOS jumped 59.1 per cent in the three months through March to 199.5 million units from 125.4 million units a year earlier.

Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team, said in a statement a closer look showed the demand for alternatives. "Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia's participation and BlackBerry's new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability."

Kevin Restivo, Senior Research Analyst at IDC, said Windows Phone surpassing Canadian company BlackBerry validates the direction taken by Microsoft Corp and its Finnish partner Nokia. 

"Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS," he added.  

Nokia accounts for 79 per cent of Windows Phone sales as Korean giant Samsung and Taiwan's HTC seem to have lost interest in the operating system.

According to IDC, Samsung commands a 41.1 per cent market share in sales of Android-based smartphones. Apple iOS, despite its largest-ever first quarter volume, posted a year-over-year decline in market share and lower year-over-year shipment growth than the overall market. 

BlackBerry still relies on BB7 smartphones for volume, IDC said. Symbian, used mainly by Nokia, recorded the largest year-over-year decline compared to any other operating system.

Middle East youth need 46 million jobs by 2020

The region

Oil exporters: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

Developing oil exporters: Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen (in the latter three civil war and/or anti-government uprisings significantly disrupted production)

Oil importers: Jordan, Lebanon, Djibouti, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia

Population

377 million in 2011, up from 363 million in 2009

In Arab Spring countries, anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent of the population are estimated to be under 25, with the biggest youth bulge in Yemen and the smallest in Tunisia.

Fertility rates, while falling, drive the world’s second highest rate of population growth, of 1.8 per cent per year in 2011, compared with Europe’s 0.5 per cent.

Economy and jobs

The region’s Gross Domestic Product is almost $2.7 billion, half of that from six oil-exporting countries with just 12 per cent of the region’s population.

Economic growth averaged 4.9 per cent a year in the 2000s. It would have to reach 6 per cent a year to create 46 million jobs and reduce unemployment to the global norm of 6 per cent by 2020, according to Elena Ianchovichina, the World Bank’s lead economist in the region. — AP

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US-based Cognizant Technology Solutions impressive January-March quarter earnings number  cheered the IT stocks on Thursday that rose by up to 4 per cent in morning trade. 
Shares of TCS jumped 1.73 per cent, while Infosys climbed 0.78 per cent on the BSE. HCL Tech surged 3.92 per cent, Wipro (0.37 per cent) and Tech Mahindra (0.27 per cent).

Following the gains in these stocks, the BSE IT index was trading at 6,066.35, up nearly 1 per cent and was the top gainer among the 13 sectoral indices.

Cognizant posted 16.6 per cent rise in net profit for the January-March quarter and maintained its outlook of 17 per cent revenue growth in 2013.

Driven by strong demand from Europe, IT firm Cognizant on Wednesday posted 16.6 per cent rise in net profit at $284.2 million for the January-March quarter and maintained its outlook of 17 per cent revenue growth in 2013.

Cognizant's net profit stood at USD 243.7 million in the first quarter of 2012. The US-headquartered IT services provider follows January-December fiscal.

The US-based firm's revenues increased 18.1 per cent to $2.02 billion in the quarter from $1.71 billion in first quarter, 2012, in line with its outlook of at least $2 billion.

For the second quarter (April-June) of 2013, Cognizant expects its revenues to be "at least $2.13 billion" and has maintained its outlook for revenues to grow at 17 per cent to "at least $8.6 billion".

Meanwhile, in the stock market, the BSE benchmark Sensex was trading at 19,952.76, down 37.42 points in late morning trade.

With PT inputs

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