Could Windows Phone 7 Unseat Android in the Mobile OS Space?
Sep. 30th, 2011 by Dave Courbanou
Did you know Microsoft gets a nice slice of Android pie every time a handset or tablet maker ships and sells an Android device? Thanks to Microsoft patents, by the end of Microsoft’s 2012 fiscal year it stands to make about $444 million in revenue just from royalties. Microsoft essentially makes money simply by letting HTC, Samsung and other companies churn out Android phones. But are manufacturers now looking to switch to Windows Phone 7 as a way to avoid the Microsoft patent royalties and better compete in the marketplace? Possibly, at least with HTC. Here’s what we know …
A ZDNet Asia article suggests HTC is becoming enamored with Windows Phone 7, most notably the new update to Windows Phone 7 (dubbed Mango or Windows Phone 7.5) that includes the “People” social networking application, which meshes Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Windows Live. Clearly, Microsoft has spent some more time on the “Get in. Get out” ethos.
More importantly, HTC’s figures show Microsoft’s mobile OS made up almost a full third — 30 percent — of the mobile hardware vendor’s overall unit sales since its launch. HTC said it expects that figure to rise — so much, in fact, that Melvin Chua, HTC’s Singapore country manager, has gone on record telling ZDNet Asia HTC fully expects Windows Phone 7 to “give Android a run for its money.”
With Microsoft ramping up efforts to convert Symbian and webOS developers to its platform, perhaps IDC’s original reports that Windows Phone 7 would eventually find prominence in the mobile marketplace may come true. If HTC is losing faith and money in Android, the company may be better off just going full-tilt on Windows Phone 7 the same way Nokia plans on doing. We’ve seen similar collaborations between Samsung and Microsoft.
One thing is certain here — nothing is certain in this mobile marketplace. Every single day new moves by big companies drastically shift the potential and direction for these devices to grow. This may be a bold prediction, but I foresee a future where Google Android starts to lose favor with handset manufactures and developers alike. The reason? I blame device fragmentation and fewer streamlined developmental tools, and maybe, the highly controversial “disposable” nature of Android. HTC’s moves could be the catalyst for all this. The company has shown an affinity for Windows Phone 7, and recently, even webOS. Stay tuned. The war has just begun.
Read More About This Topic
Share This Post
Posted In: Mobile Technology | Open Source | Software
Tags: Google Android | HTC | Microsoft | WebOS | Windows Phone 7
Interact: Add a Comment | Trackback Link | Permalink
Subscribe: RSS Feed
Tags: Google Android | HTC | Microsoft | WebOS | Windows Phone 7
Interact: Add a Comment | Trackback Link | Permalink
Subscribe: RSS Feed
Don't miss Charlene O'Hanlon's weekly columns...
First off this is one of the worst article ever first off android infringement is not as bad as everyone says two windows phone 7 is pure boring and it crashes all the time three only 3 people I know own a windows phone 7 and they are far from tech pro windows did not have any luck with windows 6.5 same with windows phone 77
Rocky, you have no clue!!!
Windows Phone 7 is THE MOST stable phone system on the market.
Read this -
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/microsofts-windows-phone-7-is-the-most-stable-mobile-phone-os/6456?tag=mantle_skin;content
Windows phone 7 with mango update rocks!!
very sure, its infront of iphone and android.
Reading articles such as the ZDnet one is a waste. Anyone buying a product based upon such crap should get their credit cards withdrawn by mommy or daddy.
Basicly Mango doesn’t provide Microsoft with an edge. It’s still the catch up game. We’ve heard that WP7 is “fantastic” all year long. And NOW finally it’s “fantastic” again.
To be honest, I have no idea whether it’s good or not so good. Because I’ve never seen or tested one. That’s because hardly anyone buys it. Even worse: When one person buys a WP7 – it doesn’t really generate sales amongst friends/family/at work.
Android sales are heavily driven by demand, and the same goes for iOS. WP7 sales are not.
err, i would think all sales are entirely driven by demand
@James:
To a certain extent. Yes.
But iOS and Android sales are viral. A consumer get one. Then friends and family want what they see. One purchase generates many purcases.
WP7 doesn’t sell that way.One corp purchases WP7 (stimulated by bundling and so on), whether users want it or not. It also sells to devs and Microsoft enthusiasts. But the sales tend not to generate 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier sales.
Androids were picked ut by the “BestBuys” and the operators based upon demand from consumers. The advertising started AFTER Androids became a succsess.
With WP7 it’s the other way around – the Oem’s and Microsoft have to subsidise and sponsor the “shops” in order make WP7 available in the malls.
Not exactly customer driven sales so to speak.
Look, it’s time we admit the fact that Android sucks. The versioning is a mess. Too many versions floating around and that’s a symptom of when Google had released Android WAY before it’s time. Android should have started at version 2.3. Everything before it was beta. Now you have to compile your apps under old buggy versions because if you don’t you’re limiting your app to a smaller distribution space. Too many phones out there running too many different versions with different hardware. All of these possible configurations makes development much tougher.
The Java tools upon which you build Android apps is atrocious at best. Eclipse turns my 3GHZ machine into an Apple IIe! It’s painfully slow and the emulators take forever to load. This is because Google decided on using Java as the environment for which applications are run on and Java is notorious for being slow. Java is a memory hog, even though Google created a custom VM for Android. If you need more proof just look at RIM Blackberry. Their apps are slow and memory problems have always plagued Blackberry to the point where a reboot or “battery pull” became necessary almost daily!
Windows Phone 7 applications are built using Microsoft Visual Studio and NOTHING compares to the pleasure it is to use Microsoft’s development environment over Eclipse. Microsoft will prevail.