Reasons why the Windows Phone 7 may just fail to impress

Windows Phone is Microsoft’s operating system for mobile phones. It is an update to the Redmond software giant’s Windows Mobile. The company has crafted Windows Phone with an aim to take on the mobile operating systems from its arch rivals Google and Apple, respectively called Android and iOS. Microsoft has been long dreaming to become a key player in smartphone market as it is in the PC market thanks to its Windows operating system. For the purpose, Microsoft reached in an exclusive deal with the Finnish mobile maker Nokia for hardware solutions early this year.

Windows Phone 7

Nokia has now just started to roll out Window Phone based phones with Nokia Lumia 800. On its way, Microsoft recently launched the latest version Windows Phone 7.5 Mango with enhanced multitasking, cloud computing and many more features. Yes, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango was Microsoft’s reply to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS 5. Whatever, the Windows Phone platform has not still survived the initial hiccups. It is yet to become a hit in global markets. Here we analyze some points that could have failed Windows as a phone operating system.

Customers want their desktop and mobile different

There needs no description to say what Microsoft is in personal computer industry. The software giant makes most of its money from its Windows operating system and its applications for computers across the world. Of course, a Lion’s share of PCs runs on Windows. Moreover, Microsoft’s mobile OS Windows Phone has a desktop-like experience to play with. Yes, because of these reasons, many people prefer iOS or Android to Windows. Simply they want to keep their PCs and smartphones different.

Very late to come in

Microsoft has been in PC operating system business for several decades. It rolled out many dazzling versions of its Windows OS for computers from MS DOS in 1980s to Windows 8 in 2010s today. Unfortunately the company took mobile industry as a new pasture very late; of course, after iOS and Android’s success in the ground. But when realized, it was too late to turn up. The company approached the industry after iOS and Android penetrated roots deep into the ground.

Not a strong hardware partner from the beginning

Microsoft did not have a powerful hardware partner from the beginning. Apple produced its own hardware and Google had companies like Samsung and Motorola from the very first moment to manufacture products for its Android platform. Microsoft, in the meantime, did not have a reliable hardware partner. The company started to make deals with hardware manufactures just a year back. As of now, it has an official partner Nokia and many casual partners like Samsung, Acer, HTC, Fujitsu, ZTE and many more.

No brand name

Microsoft has been enjoying a brand name as a PC operating system developer. But the company could never obtain a brand name as a firmware developer for smartphones. From the very beginning, especially because of iOS and Android’s supremacy, Microsoft could not create a brand name for its Windows Phone.

Not open source like Android

Windows Phone is not an open source operating system. Apple iOS is also not; but it could gain traction with both software and hardware coming from a single firm. In case of Windows Phone, it did not have the hardware support that Android had in its early stages. Being not an open source platform, no more developers did show interest in Windows Phone. As well, consumers including enterprise users were not at all interested with Windows Phone.

No apps

When compared to the count of apps on Windows Marketplace with Apple’s App Store or Google Android Market, the difference can be seen. Marketplace has only 4,000 apps available. It is when App Store offers over 300,000 apps and Android Market has in between 100,000 to 200,000. It is a huge shortfall, indeed.

No more features

Most of features arrive on Windows Phone after they are launched on iOS and Android months before. Multitasking, better cameras, high speed processor (remember WP will support single core processors) and many others appear on Window Phone very late after they are on other platforms. And so is the case in apps; developers prepare apps for Windows Phone after iOS and Android.