Windows Phone sales grew exponentially during Q4 2012

Sales of Windows Phone-powered handsets increased by the power five in December 2012, according to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Ballmer also confirmed large Windows Phone sales November, claiming they were up by four times from the same period in 2011, but neglected to talk exact numbers.

Ballmer took the stage during Qualcomm’s CES 2013 keynote speech to confirm the good news. But with analysts now claiming that Windows Phone actually lost market share in Q4 2012, it’s difficult to really gage just how well Microsoft’s mobile platform is doing.

AllAboutWindowsPhone.com reckons roughly 2.5 million Windows Phones were sold in Q4 2012.Windows Phone will run against RIM’s BlackBerry 10 throughout 2013 in the battle for third place behind iOS and Android, who currently dominate the space.

Microsoft has piled a lot of money and resources into marketing Windows Phone and the devices it powers. We expect to see RIM come out guns blazing as well following the January 30 launch of BlackBerry 10.

2013 is going to be a very interesting period for both Microsoft and RIM. Google and Apple’s share of the space will most likely remain unchanged.