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Microsoft unveils new phone with Windows OS
By siliconindia
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Monday, 11 October 2010, 19:31 IST
Bangalore: Microsoft is all set to unveil a new series of phones running its Windows Software. Initially it will be available on AT&T network. It has already been shown off in prototype form, and is much closer in look and feel to Apple's iPhone, with colorful touch-screens and 'tiles' for easy access to e-mail, the web, music and other applications.
Handsets are not expected to appear in stores for a month, so their success may not be judged until the new year. Microsoft has just a 5 percent share of the global smartphone market, according to research firm Gartner, compared with 9 percent a year ago. Google's Android system has a 17 percent market share, jumping from only 2 percent a year ago.
In August, Research in Motion launched its new $200 BlackBerry Torch, with a touchscreen and slide-out keyboard. In June, Apple launched its new $200 to $300 iPhone 4 , which is selling well despite some antenna problems. A slew of similarly priced Android phones, such as Motorolas Droid X and Samsung's Galaxy series are also grabbing customers thus create a tough job for Microsoft.
The market for multi-feature phones that allow users to e-mail, surf the web and play games, as well as have access to music and video is set to expand massively. Gartner expects almost 270 million smartphones to be sold around the world this year, up 56 percent from last year. In comparison, Gartner expects only a 19 percent increase in worldwide PC sales to 368 million units this year. By 2014, Gartner expects smartphone sales to have more than trebled to about 875 million units, with Nokia and Android leading the market with about 30 percent each, Apple around 15 percent, RIM around 12 percent and Microsoft around 4 percent.
