Microsoft has released an update on its operating system for the Moble phone market. The expectations were high, and it was roundly covered in many websites including this one. Many were not disappointed with the new technology that was unveiled. Probably the most import aspect of the announcement was that, No, Microsoft would not make its own phone which would directly compete with the Apple iPhone. Instead, it means to compete in the mobile market by making arrangements with different mobile phone makers to provide them with an OS that would compete with the iPhone OS. This was supposed to start the war of the Apps. But tellingly even though Apple had cornered the market with its own apps, Microsoft was going to compete by having multiple mobile companies produce mobile phones. Where Apple would have one mobile phone in its marketing arsenal, Microsoft would have several phones.
A new chart just released by Silicon Alley, however, paints a different view. In it Microsoft is shown to have lost 17% of the mobile market in the last three years.
The Smartphone-Platform-Share
It looks like Microsoft may have everything going for it on the technology front. The OS features look good, but, and here is the catch, its success will depend on a lot of unknowns. Some of these unknowns are under its own control like device selection and pricing to app availability and carrier distribution. But it will not ship until December, which in today’s mobile market might well mean that it will be out of touch for a while. That might be all that the competition needs.
Here is the kicker. Microsoft lost its early lead in the U.S. smartphone war, But it was slow to respond to market changes. So Microsoft may be out of the picture as it is losing market share and maybe all of its relevance, as BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) and Apple’s iPhone have taken over.
Source: CHART OF THE DAY: The Collapse Of Microsoft’s Mobile Business
See also: Windows Mobile 7 … Update
