Will Windows Phone 7 beat the iPhone and Blackberry?

Microsoft has been consistently losing the battle on the mobile phone market. The release of Windows Phone 7 at the end of this year seems to be Microsoft's final chance to turn the tide.

Early 2006 when I started my career fresh out university, I received the HP iPAQ hw6515, at that time one of the most advanced smartphones. It used the operating system WM2003SE from Microsoft (see picture to the right). Just as any ordinary computer needs an operating system (e.g. Windows Vista), a smartphone requires an operating system to function. The most well known mobile operating systems are iPhone OS (from Apple), RIM BlackBerry OS, Android (from Google) and Windows Phone (from Microsoft).

When I received my iPAQ in 2006, Windows Phone was the dominant mobile operating system with a market share of 35%. A couple of months later, we decided to switch to BlackBerry. Looking at the most recent figures of comScore, we were not the only one - since 2006 the market share of Windows Phone has been dropping like a stone.



It seems that Microsoft does not intend to leave the battlefield without a fight. Microsoft has started the development of brand new operating system: Windows Phone 7. It promises a completely new user interface, has an emphasis on finger-based touchscreen input, and offers deep social networking integration. The first smartphones with Windows Phone 7 are scheduled for late 2010, just before the holiday season.



However, there already has been some fierce criticism on Windows Phone 7. Among other things, there is no multitasking, no copy/paste functionality and a strict control on new software development.

Obviously, the release of Windows Phone 7 will certainly not help Microsoft in the short term - why would any consumer buy a phone now that operates on an already outdated Windows version? For Microsoft's sake, Windows Phone 7 would better be a success. Else the once dominant Windows Phone series could leave the stage forever.