We have nothing to fear from iPhone or Android: Microsoft

Windows_mobile_vista_v_web_2Microsoft has positioned Windows Mobile quite nicely in the enterprise but it seems these days that the buzz is in the consumer space. Apple’s recent revelations that they’ve sold 6.8 million iPhone 3Gs in a quarter and the release of the first Android phone have moved the attention squarely into the consumer space.  In a recent interview by Techradar the business lead for Microsoft Windows in the UK, John Curran, stated that Microsoft isn’t worried about either competitor.

Placing Android and Apple in order in the remaining three rivals is "atough call", he continues. "One’s an emerging one, the other is a verylimited form factor. One has relatively limited hardware support andlimited distribution; the other is just one form factor from onecompany with limited choices of operators. So they both at this pointfeel fairly restrictive compared to all the great options consumerswould have with a Windows Mobile phone."

I see where Curran is coming from but there is no question that things are not quite as rosy, certainly not as clear-cut as they have been for Windows Mobile in the past. Apple has become the number 3 smartphone maker in a very short time, bumping long-time occupants off that list.  Android, which has only just begun, is reportedly selling nicely for T-Mobile with the G1.  Imagine when there are multiple products for consumers to choose from and the impact that will have on the consumer space.  I think Microsoft is paying a lot closer attention to all of this than perhaps Curran is allowed to admit.

The smartphone market has demonstrated a marked shift in the players and the share they are getting of the pie currently.  As GigaOM stated recently, Windows Mobile may very well be in trouble.  Microsoft better be keeping a sharp eye on these competitors and making plans to deal with them.  They had better change things up too, if they continue on the staid, boring path they have taken in the past they will lose not just the battle but the war.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post