Windows Phone 7 Launch Report!

Well, it has finally come – Microsoft’s brand new mobile OS, Windows Phone 7.   And not even one week after its launch the critics are already spouting off their predictions for the future of Windows Phone 7.  The rumor is that Windows Phone 7 only sold 40,000 units on day one – a paltry amount when compared to the launches iPhone and Android.  However, that figure needs to be clarified.

First, let’s talk about the positive.  Forty thousand units is not horrible when one considered how entrenched the competition is.  Apple reportedly activates 250,000 new iPhones per day.  Android is the current market leader with an estimated 25% of the world-wide market (remember overseas Symbian is still king).  Furthermore, when the iPhone launched, one must consider the fact that there was nothing else like it.  It was truly the first device to make smartphones mainstream (BlackBerry was used for business users but not even as widely as they are today).  The iPhone not only helped Apple and its exclusive carrier, AT&T, but as a result it brought consumer interest to the smartphone market in general.  Then when Android came along, it started on T-Mobile with the G1, and then quickly went to Verizon with Motorola’s Droid.  Neither of those carriers had any smartphone offerings besides BlackBerry, so Android dominated on both Verizon and T-Mobile, thus capturing a large market share.  Now that Windows Phone 7 has finally arrived, Apple and Google have had plenty of time to sell many more units and update their systems.  So 40,000 is not bad when thinking about it in that regard.  And there’s no mistaking it – there’s still a lot of work to be done in Redmond.

Now let’s look at the flip side.  Microsoft launched a massive advertising campaign for Windows Phone 7 across TV and the Internet.  Advertisements can be found almost everywhere – I see them at least once a day on TV and on several websites I often visit.  Microsoft has also started a Twitter campaign with #windowsphone. This initiative reportedly cost Microsoft $500 million.  Now that is a big number.  After pondering about that figure, then 40,000 units seems anemic.  $500 million to only sell 40,000?  Mathematically speaking, that is not very efficient.  And to make matters even more difficult, Windows Phone 7 still lacks many features that the competition has – HTML5, Flash, Copy and Paste, Multitasking, and Tethering support.

So in conclusion, my opinion is that we will simply need to wait and see.  I am hopeful that Microsoft will pull this one off, especially after its embarrassing KIN Phone disaster.  My inclination tells me that Microsoft won’t let it become a failure, but on the other hand I am subconsciously nervous.  I am personally interested in upgrading to Windows Phone 7; I have been a devout Windows Mobile user for 3 years and am contemplating if it makes sense to jump on the Windows Phone 7 bandwagon.  My advice to anyone thinking about maybe switching to Windows Phone is simply to go to AT&T or T-Mobile and check out the devices for yourself.