Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): A Quiet Force in the Smartphone Wars

Africa is considered the fastest-growing region in the world, having maintained a 43% growth rate in smartphone use since 2000. In a recent News York Times piece, Kevin O’Brien writes: “The World Bank says that roughly a quarter of the one billion people on the continent are middle-class wage earners, the target group that Microsoft will try to reach with the Huawei phone.” Microsoft, which is scrambling to establish a meaningful market share in smartphones, is taking a very sound approach, hitting every price point in the smartphone market with a solid product offering.

A balanced approach
Smartphones are a critical arena for Microsoft if it is to return to even a measure of its past glory. Thus far, the company has proceeded aggressively, but with a targeted approach that shows promise. The current flagship Windows Phone — the Lumia 920 — is designed to compete with the iPhone and top Android options, but the real genius of Microsoft’s approach is in the emerging markets. With solid products, like the Lumia 620, and the company’s presence in important markets like Africa, Microsoft is quietly making progress. Given these advances, the stock belongs in your portfolio.

The article Microsoft: A Quiet Force in the Smartphone Wars originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Doug Ehrman.

Fool contributor Doug Ehrman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, and Home Depot. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

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