Microsoft’s Unnamed Savior?

Isn’t the Windows Phone 8 Enough?

In just a few weeks, the newly-packaged mobile Windows OS will hit the stores. But just like whenever a company introduces a new gizmo, is it okay to say that the Windows Phone 7 is now dead? Not so fast, sages! It is true that WP8 is now Microsoft’s current flagship smartphone- ready to vie for the consumer’s attention in the marketplace; but it doesn’t render its older sibling useless. According to the pundits, WP7 may still be a key player in helping MS to gain a sizeable amount of market share in the fierce smartphone industry. 

But how much can it gobble up while Android and iOS are still on the loose?

As a matter of fact, it’s difficult to foresee things above the chaotic landscape of technology. The arena is super deceptive, and is quite unpredictable. Some analysts say that smartphones running on WP7 will still fare really well despite the presence of WP8. The assumption rests on the prediction that consumers nowadays will upgrade to cheaply-priced smartphones with high end features. 

According to Tech Crunch:

“In this scenario, the rise of Windows Phone is not about shiny high-end WP8 smartphones persuading buyers to ditch Android or iOS — but rather budget devices being sold by the truckload to mobile users in emerging markets.” 

This means that the budget phones like the Nokia Lumia 920 will do the power lifting rather than the cooler and more powerful Lumia 920. 

Robert Cozza of Gartner says:

“Nokia needs the volume. Because for them revenue coming from hardware is key so at the moment with [their legacy OS] Symbian declining very rapidly, the lower end of Android is eating into what Symbian used to cover so they need something there.

“Nokia tried with the [Lumia] 610 in part but it’s not gone that low [in price] yet, and I think that by the end of 2013 they will have to grow the portfolio and include more mid-tier devices — and I think they could do it with Microsoft.”

“Obviously Microsoft and Nokia have a kind of special relationship — Microsoft will have to be ready to allow Nokia to work on the overall device in order to reach those price points but our assumption has been driven by the fact that we believe that that can happen. In some of these emerging markets smartphone applications are not really a key consideration — it’s just to make and put into the market a device with an OS that can scale down to those prices.”

Cozza strongly believes that the WP7 will stay in the game without eclipsing the popularity of WP8 and whatever phone that will succeed its lineage. As long as the WP8 remains a high-end phone and doesn’t show any signs of scaling down, WP7 will always be a healthy alternative. 

Final questions: Can Microsoft achieve the goal that it is foreseeing? Is the WP7 still the savior of Microsoft and Nokia? Until then, let’s see what will happen. For more Technology News and Blogs visit Cashforsmartphones.com