Microsoft’s launch of Windows Phone 7 yesterday received a mixed reaction. While many say the platform is finally up to snuff, it may not matter given how late the platform is coming to market behind iOS 4, Android and BlackBerry 6.
Saverio Romeo, senior industry analyst, Mobile Communications, Europe, for Frost & Sullivan, says that while the wait for Windows Phone 7 is over, success depends on a few key factors.
“Microsoft is finally well equipped to be a key market player. But there is also a lot of work to do, to make up for almost two years of uncertainty,” Romeo says. Much of that work, he says, will be on the content side, noting that developers will have the final say in any platform’s success.
The full demo of the new software given at Microsoft’s event revealed an exceptionally mature and easy-to-use UI, integrating such Microsoft staples as Office, Xbox and Zune. Romeo says it’s those areas where Microsoft will want developers focusing their efforts.
Zune and Xbox will be tasked to drive adoption and Microsoft’s strong base of desktop developers will have to be drawn into the mobile space, he says. Additionally, Romeo says Windows Market Place will have to engage customers via other approaches such as the expansion of the concept of the Windows Café.
While some were looking at the details, others were just impressed by the software’s performance, saying it’s on par with the competition. Gerry Purdy, principal analyst for MobileTrax, says Microsoft has a hit on its hands.
“Windows Phone 7 is a totally new mobile OS…They are using innovations such as live tiles and panorama swiping. It should see solid adoption in both the consumer and enterprise markets,” Purdy says.
As well-executed as Microsoft’s long-awaited update to Windows Mobile may be, most agree that it’s an uphill climb from here. The company has seen a dramatic loss of market share as it fumbled its mobile offerings over the past year.
In research from September 2010, Gartner projects that Symbian and Android will account for 59.8 percent of mobile OS sales by 2014. In the same report, Gartner forecasts that Windows Phone will account for just 5.2 percent of the mobile market by 2011 but decrease to 3.9 percent of the mobile market by 2014.
