Nokia Top Windows Phone 7 Vendor, But There’s Still Plenty Of Catching Up To Do

The Microsoft-Nokia partnership is still in its infancy, but it would seem as though that little guy is about ready to start walking. Strategy Analytics today released Q4 numbers showing that Nokia holds 33 percent of the Windows Phone 7 market share, pushing the Finnish phone giant to the top spot globally.

Windows Phone 7 devices in general are up 36 percent with 2.7 million units shipped in the fourth quarter. Nokia’s slice of the pie comprises .9 million units sold. HTC, the world’s former top Windows Phone Vendor, has now fallen to number two, reports CNET. While HTC has a new strategy and is mostly focused on Android for the time being, Nokia’s ability to gobble up WP7 market share can’t come as good news to a company that’s experiencing a bit of a growth stunt.

While this is a solid entry for the Nokia/Microsoft duo — and remember, Nokia’s Windows phones only made their way onto shelves in the fourth quarter — there’s still plenty of catching up to do.

Apple’s numbers during the same period (which, in Apple terms, would be its first quarter) accounted for 37 million iPhones being sold. In fact, the iPhone 4S sold 4 million units in its first weekend on the market.

At the same time, Nokia has been good about keeping things fresh and is expected to unveil two new devices at MWC this week, perhaps with some “Pure View” imaging features.