Despite having attracted positive reviews from within the industry, Windows Phone 7 (WP7) has gotten off to a very slow start accounting for only 3 per cent of smartphone sales.
Microsoft, which has pinned its hopes on breaking into the smartphone market with its WP7 OS, is reported to be spending an estimated €80 million to promote the Windows Phone 7 OS and handsets. However, evidence from retailers would indicate the company is struggling to make its mark in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.
One mobile phone distributor commented: "With Windows Phone 7 Microsoft has genuinely made an effort to differentiate, however they have arrived very late to the market and catching up with the other players will be a Herculean task."
A UK survey is said to have identified similar WP7 purchasing patterns as has happened in the US. Market research in the States reported only 40,000 handsets were sold the first day, compared to the 200,000 Android devices Google activates each day, and to the 600,000 first-day pre-orders of the iPhone 4. Article