News Analysis Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system is fighting a rapid sales decline since it was released last year. The mobile operating system looks dead in the market, and it's looking highly unlikely that Microsoft can do anything to breathe new life into the platform.
Microsoft has had to watch
the sales of its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system decline rapidly since
its launch last year. Consumers and enterprise users that once expressed some
interest in the platform are now giving it little thought or attention. So far,
Microsoft hasn't done a thing to stem the losses.
Of course, Microsoft
believes things will
change over the long term. The company has inked a deal with Nokia that
will see Windows Phone become the "principal" operating system in the vendor's
line of products. Windows Phone 7 "Mango," a major update to the platform, is
also scheduled to come out soon.
But neither one of those
things will matter. Windows Phone 7 is dead. And the longer Microsoft allows
its operating system to flounder on store shelves, the worse it will be for the
software giant.
Read
on to find out why Microsoft's mobile operating system is a loser:
1. Sales are plummeting
If there's any metric one
can use to determine the health of a platform, it's sales. And when it comes to
Windows Phone 7, the operating system appears to be on life support. According
to a recent report from research firm ComScore, Windows Phone 7 market share is
down 38 percent. Over the next few quarters, it's only expected to decline even
more, according to market analysts. Microsoft believes that it can turn things
around, but those who understand the mobile space better know that's simply not
the case.
2. Mango is taking too long
Windows Phone 7 "Mango"
will offer several improvements to the operating system, including full
multi-tasking and better Web browsing. But the update has taken far too long to
arrive, and consumers that had previously been waiting for it are going
elsewhere. Microsoft might have wanted to bring its operating system to the
market last year, but it's clear now that the smart move would have been to
wait until Windows Phone 7 was ready. Until Mango launches, it's just not ready
to compete in today's hotly contested space.
3. Consumers don't care
As evidenced by ComScore's
market-share data, consumers don't seem to care at all about Windows Phone 7.
People around the globe are content to buy Android- or iOS-based devices, and
leave Windows Phone products on store shelves. If consumers don't care now, how
can Microsoft ever expect to change the tide?
4. Nokia doesn't matter
There are some people who
say that Microsoft's decision to ink a deal with Nokia to make Windows Phone 7
become the mobile phone vendor's go-to operating system is a good idea. But
further inspection reveals that it really won't matter when things are said and
done. Nokia is losing its appeal to both consumers and enterprise users. When
it's combined with Windows Phone 7, an operating system that many customers
have already passed by, what makes anyone think that will change? Nokia is on
its last leg as a mobile-market powerhouse and it won't help Microsoft.
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