Microsoft just announced the release of its new Windows Phone 7 platform, and there are those in the cell phone world that are convinced that this device will be the boost that Microsoft needs to truly make a dent in the cell phone market. There are also plenty of skeptics, given the fact that the Windows Mobile platform has been less than stellar in terms of its marketplace performance.
Still, if Microsoft has any chance this time around, it’s largely because of the support that’s been announced from many of the cell phone hardware manufacturers, including HTC, LG and Samsung. Whether or not that will be enough, of course, remains to be seen.
While details are still coming out, a few things are known about the new platform. Windows Phone 7, much like Google’s Android cell phone OS, will run on multiple hardware devices and will also be available from multiple wireless networks. This will give Microsoft a slight advantage over the Apple iPhone, at least in the short term. While nothing official has come out yet, there is widespread belief that Apple will be releasing an iPhone for use on the Verizon wireless network sometime in the next 12 months.
Microsoft is relying also on its name to help sell the new phone. The implied interoperability between the cell device and, let’s say for example Microsoft office, will be a tremendous selling point for some buyers. Add it the prospect of integration into the Xbox 360 and probably the Zune marketplace, and we could be looking at a true contender. (Currently, it is estimated that there are as many as 60 games for the Xbox that will feature Windows Phone integration.)
Certainly, it’s too early to tell how this will impact the smartphone marketplace. It may well be that Microsoft is coming too late to this dance. Then again, if Microsoft can learn from the iPhone and Android marketplaces and see what it is that truly keeps customers coming, it has a fighting chance. Being able to offer the best of both of its competitors could be just the boost that Microsoft needs to compete.
The one missing piece of this puzzle, of course, is the question of the tablet. While the iPad has proven to be the most successful product launch in Apple’s history, the Android-based tablet implementations are still unproven. Whether Microsoft would even consider a foray into that marketplace using anything other than its core Windows 7 OS is doubtful, but it’s also likely that a truly competitive tablet would have to run a scaled-down version of that OS if it were to perform in the marketplace.
Source:cellphone.org
Link: http://cellphones.org/blog/will-the-windows-phone-7-succeed/
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