As from today, the mobile world has a new competitor in the on-going OS wars. Microsoft unveiled the first handsets due to run on its new Windows Phone 7 operating system at a press conference on Monday 11 October, just ahead of today's official launch. Naturally, DigitalVersus was there on the front lines at the Paris event, and we even got to try out the new OS for ourselves. So what did we make of it?
The arrival of a new Microsoft OS in a market that's already getting crowded has been eagerly awaited for a while now. The stakes are high, and the Redmond-based technology giant has a lot to win or everything to lose in the mobile phone market. The firm has therefore mustered all its might to brush over the failure of Windows Mobile and to win over the hearts and minds of the general public.
With Apple, Google, BlackBerry and even Nokia leading Microsoft by a mile, the firm can no longer afford to sit back and muddle through, nor can it ignore the criticism the original Windows Mobile OS has received over these last few years. As a Microsoft representative told us at last week's event, 'with Windows Phone 7, it's make or break'.
We don't think anyone really needs reminding just how much success in the mobile market is a strategic necessity for a firm like Microsoft which, like Apple, already has a whole range of software and services ready to be transposed into mobile handsets. There's obviously the Office software suite, but also the Bing search engine, the Xbox Live gaming platform and Zune—a kind of Microsoft version of iTunes—necessary for synchronising multimedia content to the phone via a PC (not available for Mac). A Windows-based smartphone is therefore designed to integrate flawlessly into the brand's ecosystem, alongside your PC.
A bold new interface
If one thing's for sure, it's that Microsoft has managed to be innovative and creative with Windows Phone 7, and has done something that's genuinely different from what's already on the market. That's a good thing too, considering that the latest OS releases we've seen have been heavily based on the iPhone. Microsoft clearly hasn't sought to copy what's already available (Apple's iOS, Android, Bada) and Windows Phone 7 is an original interface that couldn't be more different from the ageing and quite frankly awful Windows Mobile 6.5. It's light years away from anything we've already seen in the very similar-looking selection of interfaces we've handled. Whether or not you're a fan of the chunky icons used to access the various menus in Windows Phone 7, we have to admit that they make it simpler for users to access the most commonly used functions in a smartphone (e-mail, social networks, multimedia).
Eric Boustouller, President of Microsoft France, said the firm was 'starting again from scratch,' by moving away from the idea of 'what [...] you do with your mobile' to focus on 'how you do it'. The difference is subtle but important and was underlined by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaking live from New York, who confirmed that Windows Phone 7 was 'a different kind of mobile phone and experience'. And it's true that it's different, as you no longer have to switch from one app to another to access real-time information, for example, as on a Windows Phone 7 everything is accessible directly from the homescreen. This apparently makes for an OS that's 'cool and has its finger on the pulse,' according to Nicolas Petit, head of Mobile Communications in France.
The two Microsoft bods cited above seemed calm and quietly confident about their new release, and there was nothing aggressive or pushy about the way they came across. As Eric Boustouller explained, 'we're like marathon runners; we're in it for the long haul,' presumably in contrast to the market's 'sprinters'—a group we assume includes Google. In fact, we didn't hear any declarations of ambition greater than 'if, in the future [Ed. Not defined] we sell 100, 200 or 300 million smartphones, it will be a great success.' Microsoft is hanging its hopes on the fact that there are still plenty of consumers out there who don't yet have smartphones, a convenient reason to justify the late arrival of its OS.
Operators, manufacturers, developers: more than just partners
Applications are a real selling point for this kind of mobile, and Microsoft has made its approach to things clear, 'we're not looking to have 300,000 applications, just the 10,000 or 20,000 that consumers actually use. We're not going to play the numbers game'. It's a wise way of putting the few applications available (230, as yet) into perspective, as well as to make a stand against the competition (Apple and Google), although Microsoft didn't name any firm directly. There was plenty of emphasis on developers too, as app makers are, after all, highly in demand at the moment and need to be seduced away from other platforms.
Aside from the changes to the user interface and internal navigation, Microsoft's new OS offers users an alternative economic model. Unlike Google's increasingly popular Android OS, which is open-source and free, handset manufacturers must pay a licence fee (around $15 per phone) in order to use the Microsoft OS. This should hopefully incite manufacturers, who also have to comply with a strict set of specifications laid down by Microsoft (all the handsets announced so far look very similar), to develop higher-end Microsoft handsets—a product sector that's crucial to Microsoft's success in the wider mobile market.
As well as the close relationship Microsoft has fostered with manufacturers and developers (who are supported by Microsoft throughout their app's development), the firm has also selected 'partner operators'. A total of 75 operators worldwide have agreed to carry Microsoft's handsets, with all UK networks due to bag at least one Windows Phone 7 mobile. And, to help make sure Windows Phone 7 handsets are well represented in stores, Microsoft is hoping to boost sales with a huge advertising campaign.
What's more, the firm says it'll give a percentage of the profits from app download sales on operators' sites back to the operators themselves (the actual percentage is a closely guarded secret). That's an agreement that's worth its weight in gold, especially since operators' online app stores continue to be eclipsed by stores run directly by the OS heavyweights of the moment. Microsoft's strategy of winning over its partners with perks and benefits is thus worlds apart from the strict and smothering strategy over at Apple.
Proof of the pudding
So does Microsoft now have everything it needs to reduce the gulf currently separating it from the likes of Apple and Google? We wanted to hear what the firm had to say about analysts' predictions that Windows Phone 7 would have just a 4% market share by 2013. Behind the scenes, the same representative who told us it was 'make or break' also said, 'remember the launch of the Xbox? We came in last behind everyone else, right? But just look where we are now! Is it really all that important to be the first on the scene?'
Only time will tell whether the new OS really will prove a success for Microsoft, as confidence and determination unfortunately aren't always enough. We'll also have to wait and see whether it'll win over mobile users, many of whom are already familiar with popular OS like iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. Whatever its fate, Windows Phone 7 is definitely a genuine alternative to what's already available on the market.
> Phone Reviews: Mobiles & Smartphones
With Apple, Google, BlackBerry and even Nokia leading Microsoft by a mile, the firm can no longer afford to sit back and muddle through, nor can it ignore the criticism the original Windows Mobile OS has received over these last few years. As a Microsoft representative told us at last week's event, 'with Windows Phone 7, it's make or break'.
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HTC HD 7: first hands-on |
We don't think anyone really needs reminding just how much success in the mobile market is a strategic necessity for a firm like Microsoft which, like Apple, already has a whole range of software and services ready to be transposed into mobile handsets. There's obviously the Office software suite, but also the Bing search engine, the Xbox Live gaming platform and Zune—a kind of Microsoft version of iTunes—necessary for synchronising multimedia content to the phone via a PC (not available for Mac). A Windows-based smartphone is therefore designed to integrate flawlessly into the brand's ecosystem, alongside your PC.
A bold new interface
If one thing's for sure, it's that Microsoft has managed to be innovative and creative with Windows Phone 7, and has done something that's genuinely different from what's already on the market. That's a good thing too, considering that the latest OS releases we've seen have been heavily based on the iPhone. Microsoft clearly hasn't sought to copy what's already available (Apple's iOS, Android, Bada) and Windows Phone 7 is an original interface that couldn't be more different from the ageing and quite frankly awful Windows Mobile 6.5. It's light years away from anything we've already seen in the very similar-looking selection of interfaces we've handled. Whether or not you're a fan of the chunky icons used to access the various menus in Windows Phone 7, we have to admit that they make it simpler for users to access the most commonly used functions in a smartphone (e-mail, social networks, multimedia).
Eric Boustouller, President of Microsoft France, said the firm was 'starting again from scratch,' by moving away from the idea of 'what [...] you do with your mobile' to focus on 'how you do it'. The difference is subtle but important and was underlined by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaking live from New York, who confirmed that Windows Phone 7 was 'a different kind of mobile phone and experience'. And it's true that it's different, as you no longer have to switch from one app to another to access real-time information, for example, as on a Windows Phone 7 everything is accessible directly from the homescreen. This apparently makes for an OS that's 'cool and has its finger on the pulse,' according to Nicolas Petit, head of Mobile Communications in France.
The two Microsoft bods cited above seemed calm and quietly confident about their new release, and there was nothing aggressive or pushy about the way they came across. As Eric Boustouller explained, 'we're like marathon runners; we're in it for the long haul,' presumably in contrast to the market's 'sprinters'—a group we assume includes Google. In fact, we didn't hear any declarations of ambition greater than 'if, in the future [Ed. Not defined] we sell 100, 200 or 300 million smartphones, it will be a great success.' Microsoft is hanging its hopes on the fact that there are still plenty of consumers out there who don't yet have smartphones, a convenient reason to justify the late arrival of its OS.
Operators, manufacturers, developers: more than just partners
Applications are a real selling point for this kind of mobile, and Microsoft has made its approach to things clear, 'we're not looking to have 300,000 applications, just the 10,000 or 20,000 that consumers actually use. We're not going to play the numbers game'. It's a wise way of putting the few applications available (230, as yet) into perspective, as well as to make a stand against the competition (Apple and Google), although Microsoft didn't name any firm directly. There was plenty of emphasis on developers too, as app makers are, after all, highly in demand at the moment and need to be seduced away from other platforms.
 |
 |
 |
| HTC 7 Mozart: first hands-on |
LG Optimus 7: first hands-on |
HTC 7 Mozart: first hands-on |
As well as the close relationship Microsoft has fostered with manufacturers and developers (who are supported by Microsoft throughout their app's development), the firm has also selected 'partner operators'. A total of 75 operators worldwide have agreed to carry Microsoft's handsets, with all UK networks due to bag at least one Windows Phone 7 mobile. And, to help make sure Windows Phone 7 handsets are well represented in stores, Microsoft is hoping to boost sales with a huge advertising campaign.
What's more, the firm says it'll give a percentage of the profits from app download sales on operators' sites back to the operators themselves (the actual percentage is a closely guarded secret). That's an agreement that's worth its weight in gold, especially since operators' online app stores continue to be eclipsed by stores run directly by the OS heavyweights of the moment. Microsoft's strategy of winning over its partners with perks and benefits is thus worlds apart from the strict and smothering strategy over at Apple.
Proof of the pudding
So does Microsoft now have everything it needs to reduce the gulf currently separating it from the likes of Apple and Google? We wanted to hear what the firm had to say about analysts' predictions that Windows Phone 7 would have just a 4% market share by 2013. Behind the scenes, the same representative who told us it was 'make or break' also said, 'remember the launch of the Xbox? We came in last behind everyone else, right? But just look where we are now! Is it really all that important to be the first on the scene?'
Only time will tell whether the new OS really will prove a success for Microsoft, as confidence and determination unfortunately aren't always enough. We'll also have to wait and see whether it'll win over mobile users, many of whom are already familiar with popular OS like iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. Whatever its fate, Windows Phone 7 is definitely a genuine alternative to what's already available on the market.
> Phone Reviews: Mobiles & Smartphones
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