Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Can Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Make a Difference in Mobile Enterprise?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
While Apple concentrates on its newest iPhone and Google
continues its search engine dominance, Microsoft has seemingly sat in wait, quietly planning their next
mission into the evolving technology industry. One of the projects
introduced earlier this year, Windows Phone 7 Series (later renamed
without "series" in the title, simply called Windows Phone 7),
continues to build hype over the late 2010 launch. With no concrete
executions, and with iPhone 4 and Google's Android surging the
consumer market, can Microsoft survive the upcoming months with a
product that users want?
Microsoft recently attempted to target the younger teen market
with their line of phones called KIN. Not only were the phones
supported by a separate, specialized operating system, but critics
questioned the launch timing and potential market cannibalism. An
article from WMpoweruser.com highlights a few
positives for Microsoft in regards to Windows Phone 7:
- Microsoft does not directly compete with their OEMs (Original
Equipment Manufacturers), a lesson Google previously learned in
selling the Nexus One
- One less Microsoft-supported OS - the company now can focus on
Windows Phone 7 and its variations
- No internal distractions for Microsoft - look for a focused
effort in providing a stable mobile experience
- KIN experience and research may apply to certain areas within
Windows Phone 7
Aside from their internal downfalls, the market for mobile phone
platforms is quickly growing and Microsoft's competitors (Apple,
Google, RIM, Nokia) are already benefiting from advanced mobile
operating systems. In ComScore's latest report for U.S. mobile subscriber
market share, Microsoft fell almost 2% over a span of three months,
with 15.1% of the market back in February and only 13.2% in
May.
Even with these setbacks, Windows Phone 7 is gearing up to be
the first step in Microsoft's mobile resurgence. News of Windows
Live support from
Computerworld.com means that "upcoming Windows 7 smartphones
will perform within a network of Windows 7 PCs, making the mobile
experience easier and more powerful for workers and consumers."
Senior VP of mobile communications at Microsoft, Andy Lees, even
summarized the return: "We're back."
Microsoft will focus on tying the PC, phone, and cloud together
to create one fluid user experience, integrating programs like
Office, Sharepoint, Zune media player software, Bing, and social
networks. The emphasis will be "100% consistency" across various
phone styles, no doubt an attempt to combat Android's recent
fragmentation issues.
For business users, the Windows Live platform along with WP7
will be critical. With their storage service SkyDrive, Microsoft
will be offering 25 GB of free cloud storage within the platform
for "accessing information shared between the Web and other
devices." Accessing and storing e-mail, calendars, pictures,
services, and other documents is an important execution for mobile
enterprise users.
CEO Steve Ballmer has stated that he is committed to smartphones
and the debut of Windows Phone 7. At the Worldwide Partner
Conference in Washingtion, according to a fiercewireless.com article, Ballmer admitted
that "people will be proud to carry (these Windows-based phones) at
home" while also supporting "scenarios that enterprise IT are
trying to make happen in the phone form factor."
Windows Phone 7 has a lot riding on it. Since Windows 7 took the
PC software world by storm, Microsoft is looking to make the same
splash into mobile after months of market share decline. If
Microsoft can nail this OS, look to see another major contender in
the mobile enterprise market come early next year.
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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