Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) & BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) Want…No, Need 3rd Place

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) may not be known for their dominance in the smartphone operating system market, with Android and iOS sitting at number one and two, respectively. This does not mean things are any less exciting in the battle for third place.

Third Place is Important to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)Both these companies have hopes of one day being able to contend for the top spot in the market. They also realize that in order to do so they will need to first grab hold of the number three position.

Steve Ballmer is hoping that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is on the right page. And on the BlackBerry Ltd  (NASDAQ:BBRY) side of things, Thorsten Heins realizes that the future is now.

Is Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Winning?

A recent IDC study shows that Microsoft Corporation is currently holding onto third place in this market. While this is sure to be exciting for Ballmer and company, they shouldn’t look in the rearview mirror because BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is not that far behind.

Here is the deal: Windows Phone currently has 3.7 percent market share. BlackBerry is not far behind with 2.9 percent of the market.

These numbers don’t tell the entire story, however.

What we really need to look at is the market share from the same quarter (second) of 2012. At that time, Windows Phone was sitting at 3.1 percent with BlackBerry at 4.9 percent.

Now, can you see what is going on? Things have flip flopped over the past 12 months with Microsoft grabbing hold of the number three spot and BlackBerry falling off quite a bit.

The Next 12 Months

Right now, the most important thing for both companies is the next 12 months. Will Microsoft continue to grow its market share and become known once and for all as the number three smartphone operating system?

Or will BlackBerry be able to stage a comeback, thanks to its BlackBerry 10 OS and new lineup of devices?

If Microsoft is able to take a bigger lead over BlackBerry, it may be time to get serious about what Windows Phone has to offer.

The time to “put up or shut up” is right now. The battle for number three between Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is reaching new heights.

These hedge fund managers are on board with what Microsoft is doing: Sandy Nairn, Kelly Cardwell, Jeffrey Ubben, James Litinsky, and William Duhamel.

See the video below to learn more about Windows Phone:

Disclosure: none