Microsoft is very likely betting its impending mobile OS, Windows Phone 10, will spur consumer love for upcoming handsets and help Microsoft gain some much needed market share in the competitive smartphone market.
But industry watchers say it will not only take a creative and feature-rich OS, but some big strategy moves for Microsoft to get in the leadership pack. A big key step is getting innovative mobile apps in play, which may be tough given developers tend to build for the most popular smartphones where consumer love translates to profit.
"Microsoft Phones are renowned for its simplicity. While a simple and easy to use phone is great for newbies to the smartphone world or individuals looking for a phone with basic applications, it falls short of its competitors," Ari Zoldan, CEO of Quantum Networks, told Tech Times. "The iPhone and Android have become big hits in the smartphone industry due to their completeness or availability of advanced and numerous applications."
Research firm IDC reports Windows Phone had a worldwide market share of 2.9 percent in the third quarter of 2014, compared with Android's 84.4 percent and iOS' 11.7 percent.
The next IDC report may show a positive shift for Microsoft, though, as the company recently posted its fiscal second-quarter earnings, which boasted record sales for its Lumia smartphones.
Yet while Lumia grabbed attention, and consumer traction, there hasn't been a lot of news relating to Microsoft's mobile app strategy.
"What Microsoft needs to do to meet the smartphone standard is to improve their limited applications," notes Zoldan. "Microsoft needs to up their game by improving and expanding their mediocre app and game selection. By Microsoft transforming their marketplace from a barren to a bountiful app store, they can meet and even surpass the smartphone standard."
According to media reports, Windows Phone 10 will likely be similar to Windows Phone 8.1, and allow Windows 10 devices to integrate more easily with Windows 10 PCs. But such interoperability is just one small puzzle piece to put in place if Microsoft hopes to forge big inroads as a smartphone player going forward.
