Microsoft Windows Mobile drops to single-digit market share

We talked about how the NPD market numbers showed Android is the top-selling U.S. smartphone platform for last quarter but we missed this little tidbit about how Microsoft Windows Mobile dropped to single-digit market share.

The Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system accounted for 9% of the market last quarter, according to NPD numbers and that’s just the latest in a sharp drop. It’s not much of a surprise, as the Apple iPhone and Google Android have been garnering most of the attention in the high-end market for the last few years. Additionally, Microsoft Windows Mobile has a strong enterprise customer base still and NPD doesn’t take into account corporate sales, which means the market share is probably a few ticks higher.

Of course, the main reason the Windows Mobile operating system fails to sell well despite impressive hardware like the HTC HD2 is that Microsoft is grooming its replacement with Windows Phone 7. The next generation of its mobile software could hit as soon as October and it looks like it has the potential to get the company back in the game.

The most striking difference with Microsoft Windows Phone 7 is the revamped user interface. Gone is the shrunk-down computer feel of Windows Mobile and it has been replaced with a “Metro” UI which uses more ambient information in a touch-friendly way.

The early previews of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 indicate that it is a touch-friendly OS with strong mail integration. On the downsides, the platform is missing a few key features like cut and past and true multitasking. Even worse, early reports said it’s good but not outstanding and the competition is so fierce that you kind of have to be exceptional to win in the smartphone market.

I absolutely know we have some Windows Mobile fans out there. Did you hold out waiting for 7? Let us know in the comments.

[Via TechFlash]

About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.

timjones17

Droid 2 after my current Omnia
Kylie

Microsoft's phones are in a marketshare tail spin.

As we learn more about Windows Phone 7, it becomes obvious that it won't stop the decline. In fact, it may hasten the fall.

Windows Phone 7 is missing vital features (eg HTML5), and will be released in an incomplete, unfinished, half-baked state. Microsoft did the same thing recently with its Kin phone, which also failed for the same reason.
adoalv

Well I and a few of my Co-workers and friends are holding out for the new and improved phone to be release this year. all we do is search the websites for any and more news on WP7. We are verizon carriers and we are holding out for the new phones we would hate to get a droid and find out that we should have waited since we will be locked into another 2 years. We must make the right choice.
damonous

I think the whole "throw out the baby with the bathwater" approach may backfire horribly for Microsoft. When you see what HTC and Sony have done to 'modernize' and skin WinMo, it's rather ridiculous for Microsoft to 'start from scratch'. And, when you think of it, it's almost the reverse of what was done with the desktop OS. Back then, they engineered a business solution (NT) to offer what Win95/98 could not. Eventually, they merged the crappier OS into the business/stable OS (WinXP).

The mobile strategy is almost ludicrous. You take the full-featured OS, rename it again (with begrudging legacy continuity of service under the instantly-forgettable "Windows Embedded Handheld" name) with some far-fetched late-2011 idea to migrate it into the immature Windows Phone 7?

Look, I use WinMo for personal use. I run a custom firmware from the X2 on my Xperia X1, and after time & tweaking, it's really a full-featured device almost as functional as a computer. I don't think I can get that with another platform, certainly not iOS. BUT….if Microsoft is telling me that if I 'want to stay current' with my next phone, I need to discard every piece of fine mobile software I've become familiar with because I have to change to a new OS …..you can bet money that my next OS will be Android.