How about an Android from Google? While Apple and Google both proudly proclaim sales of hundreds of thousands of units on their first day, Microsoft has said nothing while reports have surfaced of only 40,000 units sold. Microsoft no longer carries any weight as it once did. Now Google and Apple are revered. Apple's annual sales are now about the same as Microsoft's. Now, half of all college students use a Mac vs Windows. Everyone Googles and no one uses Bing. Windows phones are only 7% of the market. And institutional investors are selling Microsoft stock in droves. Microsoft doesn't matter anymore.
Android has been doing awesomely well, the features it brings with itself are cool. Also Nokia it seems is standing up to the competition and releasing cool phones. So Microsoft has a great deal of distance to cover. Windows mobile 7 may be good but not that really good.
Microsoft will have an easier time competing with Android because Oracle is distracting Google by pulling the rug out from Android leagally via Java based lawsuits. Google doesn't have a leg to stand on in the lawsuits, and it's obvious because their defense seems to be centering around deflecting responsibility to 3rd parties. Android is going to crash and burn, or change dramatically in the coming years simply because of the fact that it's based on technology that was bought out by a competitor who is friends with another competitor. (Oracle & Microsoft) iOS will be tougher to compete with. It's just plain sexy, and the majority of the mobile market wants sexy. Luckily for Microsoft, the mobile market also wants open. If Microsoft wants to succeed against Apple, they're going to have to have far fewer restrictions on their mobile ecosystem than Apple and they're going to need to step up the sexy. Knowing Microsoft, they're probably going to try and push into the mobile business market, which is currently dominated by Blackberry and will continue to be for at least the next few years. The only advantage Microsoft has over Blackberry is that there are a LOT of business systems based on Windows and they have a chance to make collaboration between these existing Windows systems and the Windows 7 Mobile operating system completely seamless.
To the contrary, others seem to think it is Oracle that has no case. This could fall under the rule of license by lack of pursuit in the past. Sun never chased after Google before so what has changed? Sun always promoted Java as an open language so why is Oracle trying to cash in? Another thought is that Android is language agnostic at its core. Should some agreement not come about, Google can just specify another language. Neither of which has been in Microsoft's past. And recently eclipsed by iOS. However, I'm not sure where the bigger market is in this. Consumer or business? And how much business software can you run or make do on your phone? How many businesses that still run IE6 cause that's all the works with their software will try and shoehorn that into a phone? Recently I read that large companies are looking into the iPad to give their people to run business apps. And, as I said earlier, I read every day that institutional investors have no faith in Microsoft's effort in the phone/mobile market and are leaving in droves.
@drhowarddrfine You certainly have your point about Microsoft; it is nothing like it was before. Well, everything has to eventually end up...
A choice between iOS or Windows 7 phone clearly Apple has no threat by Microsoft. Google Android is about the only one that is a threat.
It's not Sun anymore, that's what's changed. Sun was a bunch of hippies compared to Oracle. While Sun was pussy footing around trying to be everyone's friend, Oracle was saving their pennies. Now Oracle has a huge stockpile of cash and they're using it to go around and buy up all of these hippy companies in a way that doesn't leave them obligated to any company that could have conflicting interests down the road. They've still got cash left over to send their lawyers after everyone who gets in their way. I bolded the important part in your quote there. Sure, Google can shift to a new platform, but why would any studio in their right mind follow Google to a new language when there's a risk of having to just abandon everything and move to a new language again in the future ? I wouldn't. Also, with Google deflecting responsibility to 3rd parties, why would I want to take the risk of developing for this platform of theres a chance I'm going to be subject to someone else's license agreement by using it. Microsoft has built up a large enough pile of cash to get it right sooner or later. You can buy sexy when it comes to design. According to what ? My money is on the consumer market being a lot more profitable than the business market. Business people buy new phones when it makes sense to business-wise. Consumers buy phones because they can't stand the fact that Tom, Dick, or Sally has a better phone than them. You'll see thousands of people riding the city bus, but they'll have a $400 phone. Ever been to an unemployment, foodstamp, or other Government assistance office? Watch how many of the people there are playing games on a $200+ phone while waiting for their number to get called. Most of these people have credit that's so horrible that they can't even get one of these phones without using prepaid airtime and paying full price for the phones. But, knowing Microsoft, they'll think about how responsible business people are and think that responsible people are naturally going to have more money to spend, which technically they will, but getting them to spend it at any profitable rate is tough. I bet a large portion of those companies considering the iPad, are holding off for the Blackberry Slate. As for investors leaving, if you see Microsoft start to pull of the sexy, it may be time to buy. But, knowing Microsoft...
I don't know what other languages have patent restrictions. Google isn't like Microsoft where they change things as they wish (like dropping Silverlight for the desktop recently). They may not have a choice. Like I said, I don't think any other languages have patent restrictions like Java has. Only the Yankees can buy a championship. In the game of sooner or later, later is too late. I may have mis-remembered. Apparently Android and iPhones sales for the last quarter surpassed Blackberry and not total usage. My thoughts, too, which is why I don't think business usage of Windows will help Microsoft's phone sales as much as the poster thinks. Not the original article I read about this.
The way Microsoft is holding on to the sales figures of Windows Phone 7, it looks like that WP7 has failed. So far only one website has published figures, The Street. I don't think their figures can be trusted. However I don't believe that Windows Phone 7 has sold a lot of phones else Microsoft would have released the numbers. If that is indeed that case then there is only one option for Microsoft to survive in Mobile market. Buy either Nokia or HTC.
W7 cannot beat ios and android in the years to come.... Similarly in pc's .... mac is faaar better than w7