HTC has been strategizing over how they should manage the market race for mobile marketshare. As of December of 2009, the iPhone and Android have been extinguishing Windows Mobile 6 in the marketplace. Some fellows at XDA have speculated that HTC will be releasing three new Windows Mobile 7 devices in Q2 or Q3 of 2010: the HTC Photon, HTC Trophy and HTC Tera.
However, during an open Q&A session with Microsoft in London, the head of Microsoft’s mobile division confirmed that the new mobile phones will NOT be released until LATE 2010. This usually means Q4. Remember, Windows Mobile 7 has a lot of catching up to do.
If you are hesitating on whether or not you should wait for Windows Mobile 7… don’t. It is going to be a year until it is released. However, if you want to remain loyal to Microsoft, get an HTC HD2 that runs Windows Mobile 6.5. Rumor has it that the HD2 will be the first phone to get the Windows Mobile 7 upgrade.
Have you heard of HTC? God, why do I waste my time … of course you have! They own over 80% of the Smartphone marketshare. Until 2009, HTC produced mobile devices for Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. The mobile phone manufacturer recently “scaled back” their production for Windows Mobile phones and shifted this energy on Android devices.
Don’t freak out. Windows Mobile 7 will still be running on HTC phones. What we are seeing now is a balance of power/marketshare between one of the two largest technological powerhouse corporations in the WORLD: Google and Microsoft.
Since more than 80% of all Smartphone users have an HTC phone, the company decided to disversify by opening their doors to new mobile operating systems and creating devices for Google Android. And because HTC doesn’t know which operating system is more successful, they are going to use both of them.
As 2009 winds down, the excitement grows for the release date of Windows Mobile 7. Still unannounced, Microsoft will most likely release their new mobile OS in October, 2010. But is it too late? The iPhone dominated the mobile market in 2007. And in 2009 Google’s new Android mobile platform swept up whatever the iPhone didn’t grab, especially now that Android 2.0 just released. Anybody in between either had a Smartphone or Pocket PC that ran Windows Mobile 6.
Now it’s Microsoft’s turn again. And remember, Microsoft is usually never 3rd in the competition. Of course, you have to give it to Apple for jumping into the Smartphone arena so aggressively, they really did do a phenomenal job marketing their iPhone. And Google… well they didn’t need to do much to grab the attention of the public.
The battle continues, and we won’t know who really deserves the Smartphone marketshare until sometime in 2010. I always gauge the success of the iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile between each other using Google Trends. This Google tools allows you to compare multiple keyword search terms based on popularity. Notice how Microsoft has a significant lead over Google Android, even right after Android 2.0 came out. This shows you the kind of lead Microsoft has, and why they aren’t necessarily worried about Apple or Google. As long as they’re in the top 3, they won’t sweat it. But Steve Ballmer will not settle for #3, or #2. Even #1 is a little shady but I guess that will have to do 
Google Android vs Windows Mobile, Google Trends
