News Analysis: Microsoft is serious about seeing Windows Phone 7 succeed. But market uptake for the mobile operating system has been sluggish. Its go-to-market strategy has major flaws and needs some work if Phone 7 is to have any chance of gaining ground.
Microsoft's
Windows Phone 7 was supposed to be the operating system that would carry
Microsoft's mobile banner for the next few years. When Microsoft launched the
platform, the software company said that Windows Phone 7 would be the reliable
choice for those who want a high-quality mobile operating system and devices
that will satisfy their needs.
However,
Windows Phone 7 so far has not fulfilled that promise. The operating system
lacks the polish that consumers and enterprise users are finding in competing
platforms, such as iOS and BlackBerry OS. But most significantly, few consumers
even consider Microsoft's option a worthwhile competitor to Android. At this
point, the marks against Windows Phone 7 far outweigh the advantages the
platform enjoys.
But
that doesn't mean that all is lost. With some tweaks in strategy, Microsoft just
might be able to stage a comeback in the mobile market.
Read
on to find out what Microsoft is doing wrong, and
what the company can be doing to address it.
1. Where are the top-notch phones?
As
important as software is, hardware is still a key consideration for consumers
thinking of buying a smartphone. Today's consumer wants a fashionable design, a
great-looking screen and some additional functionality, to boot. So far,
Windows Phone 7-based devices have fallen short in nearly all of those areas.
Until Microsoft can work with vendors to offer a device that's on the same
level as an iPhone or Motorola's Droid 3, the software giant will have a hard
time keeping up in today's hotly contested mobile space.
2. The update process is a killer
Microsoft
has been panned for delivering one of the worst update processes in the
business. When owners of Samsung smartphones
tried to update their smartphones earlier this year, some of the devices
were disabled. After saying that it fixed the problem, Microsoft tried again,
and the update failed. Eventually, Microsoft addressed the issue. However, many
devices are still taking an inordinate amount of time to update, as evidenced
by Microsoft's own update tracker. As this point, updates might just be Windows
Phone 7's Achilles' heel.
3. Nokia's troubles
When
Microsoft announced that it had inked a deal with Nokia that will see Windows
Phone 7 become the "principal" operating system in the handset
maker's line of devices, the software giant indicated that it was on its way to
catching up to Google's Android platform. But let's not forget that Nokia is in
deep trouble and many consumers around the globe are losing faith in the
company. Will Windows Phone 7 address that? Nokia is just one small piece of a
much larger strategy that Microsoft must employ.
4. There's no answer to Android
Google's
Android platform is the biggest threat to Microsoft right now. So far,
Microsoft has been unable to slow Android's growth in the mobile market. Some
analysts say that Nokia should help Microsoft, but others aren't so sure. And
now, the question is,
what can Microsoft really do to beat Android? It seems that Microsoft
doesn't know. And that's not a good thing.
Email
Print
