Microsoft's Windows Phones are fast losing ground in the smartphone mix, and a forecast by IDC suggests that this wane in fortune would increase in coming years and eventually, the OS would reach 0.0 percent market share in 2021.

Windows Phone is set to drop to 0.1 percent in market share, which adds up to roughly 1.8 million phones only. This figure is further expected to dip until the market share reaches 0 percent, which would sum up to 800,000 windows phones.

Android is expected to continue leading the smartphone market, with the figures increasing from 1.3 billion units in 2017 to 1.5 billion. Apple's iOS is set to rise from 226 million smartphones this year to 258 million phones by 2021. However, Apple's market share is touted to drop to 14.6 percent based on IDC's estimations.

What Is The Cause Of This Decline?

A primary reason for this decline in Windows Phones' fortunes is a lack of partners. Microsoft has shown no interest in partnering with other companies and will likely look to launch a new Windows Phone.

A large number of the OEMs have been abandoned by Windows and Microsoft has denied the smartphone a new lease of life.

"Windows Phone continues to decline as a share of the smartphone space as many OEMs have given up producing phones for the platform. As a result, IDC expects 2017 volumes to decline 69.5 percent to just 1.8 million units," says IDC confirming the steep decline.

How Microsoft Plans To Recover

Microsoft is reportedly busy with the development and launch of a brand new smartphone called the Surface Phone. However, the authenticity of these reports has not been confirmed yet. This smartphone was set for launch in 2017 or the first quarter of 2018, but there has been no official word about it.

A handful of phones running on Windows 10 OS is displayed for sale in the Microsoft online store, along with some Lumia devices and gadgets from Alcatel, HP, and Acer among others.

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 witnessed a conspicuous lack in any Windows 10-powered phone. Microsoft made its presence felt only by displaying some Windows 10-powered tablets and two-in-one devices.

Microsoft, therefore, is prepared for the final nail in the coffin and the world may soon witness a complete wipeout of the Windows Phone from the smartphone market.

However, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft can turn things around for itself and find a way to rejuvenate the Windows Phone in the market. With the current domination by Android followed by iOS, it does not seem likely that Windows Phone will be able to make lost ground.

Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr