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.
We all need to be on the same page. What is a Smartphone exactly? A Smartphone is an electronic device that has mobile capabilities (i.e, you can call someone with it) and also has basic PC functions. Smartphones are not simply phones that run Windows Mobile. A Blackberry is a smartphone, for example.
Typically, if your phone has a touch screen, it is referred to as a Pocket PC rather than a Smartphone. Pocket PC’s have more PC functionality overall.
Smartphones are here to stay for the next decade or so. What will change though is who possesses the majority of Smartphone market share in this time. According to market share data from Canalys, the iPhone, Blackberry, and Google Android operating systems took a huge bite out of Windows Mobile’s warm apple pie in 2009. In fact, Android surpassed Windows Mobile’s growth rate in Q2 of 2009. Uh oh. This has scared the shit out of the Windows Mobile team, which explains why Steve Ballmer (Microsoft’s CEO) is revamping his Windows Mobile team personally. And since HTC manufactures 80% of Smartphones today, Microsoft doesn’t want them signing any long term contracts with Google Android or Palm.
{democracy:2}
I’m certainly an avid Windows Mobile fan, but Microsoft did lose in the Smartphone market share challenge of 2009. Definitely expect more from Microsoft with Windows Mobile 7. If they don’t pull through, they will be out for good.
