Looks like all is not doom and gloom with Windows Phone 7. While there have been plenty of surveys noting that the OS is not catching on as fast, Microsoft has always taken the position that this is a marathon, not a race and that eventually the OS will break through.
According to a new Nielsen survey, Microsoft's mobile OS's (Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile) command 10% of the market share. This is actually quite a jump, if accurate, from the oft-cited 6% number that we've seen in other surveys. The survey looks at the last three months of data and has Android at 29% and Apple, RIM tied at 27%. Unfortunately we don't know the exact breakdown between Mobile/Phone 7, but we shudder to think that WM has made a comeback of late and that WP7 is more than 2%, as the NPD survey shows.
Getting back to Windows, Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD, had nothing but positive things to say. According to Sci-Tech Today, he praised Windows Phone 7's differentiation and product integration but suggested they still need to "...close the feature gap, offer more exclusive capabilities, work with partners to deliver hardware with better differentiation, and leverage its extensive experience in driving developer communities to increase its app offerings." Meanwhile, Al Hilwa, director of applications development software at IDC lauded Microsoft's Marketplace both in terms of app buildup and quality of apps, suggesting it is one of the most successful launches to date. He also mentioned how we won't see the full power of Microsoft till the next version of Windows, which seeks full integration across product lines:
Most importantly, the full weight of the ecosystem will probably not come to bear on this until Windows PCs themselves are brought into alignment with this when Windows for ARM ships, and some viable Microsoft-based tablets are in the market.
That we agree with too, even if it is nearly 2 years out. Regardless, it's nice to see both that 10% number and various industry analysts bullish on Windows Phone 7 and Microsoft's plans.
Source: Nielsen, NPD, IDC; via Sci-Tech Today
