There is no doubt that at the beginning of 2012, the smartphone market is still dominated by Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS; together they control more than three quarters of the total smartphone market share. However, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system is intent on stealing some of the users from the two mobile giants with its critically acclaimed and uniquely designed interface. Microsoft began releasing touchscreen smartphones around the same time as Google and Apple, but their early devices didn’t quite measure up to the ease of use of Android or iPhone. With Mango, the most recent update released for WP7, Microsoft’s mobile platform is as visually stunning, powerful, and as easy to use as any Android or iOS device. So what does the future hold for WP7? Can Microsoft succeed in the world of smartphones, even with the seemingly ever-growing market strongholds of Google and Apple?
A recently leaked “roadmap” from Microsoft shows that they intend to release a minor update to WP7 in Q2 2012, which has been dubbed “Tango”. Analysts expect this update to target smartphones at the lower end of the price spectrum, an area where iPhones are nowhere to be found and where Android phones are often criticized as cheap and buggy. If Microsoft can successfully roll out an update that allows consumers to buy a quality smartphone on a budget, they will be able to attract a large number of new buyers.
The roadmap also projects an update for late 2012 called “Apollo”. Supposedly, this update will be more similar to the Mango release in that it will be a drastic and comprehensive update. In fact, a Nokia vice president said that even though it would only be released a year after the successful Mango update, it would be a “very different game” than the current version of Windows Phone. Some analysts are speculating that this could mean that the new update will transform Windows Phone 7 into Windows Phone 8, using Microsoft’s upcoming operating system.
It’s incredibly unlikely that Microsoft will knock Google and Apple off the top of the mobile market overnight, but critics agree: Mango’s upgrade to Windows Phone 7 makes Microsoft smartphones a legitimate competitor to the two mobile gurus. If future updates to Windows Phone continue to improve the already critically acclaimed device, there’s no doubt that Microsoft will continue to assert its share of the mobile market and perhaps usher in increased competition for Google and Apple.