Why is Windows Phone 7 yet to take off - Times of India

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software has a unique, modern design that many say is superior to Android's more rugged, computery look. But a former Microsoft staff says looks alone are not enough to make Windows Phone succeed. Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 in November 2010, and has since formed a major partnership with Nokia in hopes of gaining a foothold in a mobile market that is dominated by Apple and Google.

Despite the firm's best efforts, sales of Windows Phone 7 handsets are still tiny. Charlie Kindel, an entrepreneur who recently left Microsoft's Windows Phone team to start his own company, wrote a blog post Monday on why the software still hasn't taken off. He breaks down what each party in the cellphone business wants - most notably, the carrier and hardware maker.

The carrier wants to control the customer experience, and the manufacturer wants to own that and the hardware design as well. This is precisely why Windows Phone 7 faces hurdles, Mr Kindel says. To explain, Mr Kindel analyses Apple's approach with the iPhone and Google's approach with Android.

With the iPhone, Apple controls the design of the software and additional transactions through the App Store, and it controls its own destiny with hardware because it makes the iPhone itself. With Android, Google licenses the software to any manufacturer that wishes to use it, and allows the carriers to distribute Android software updates whenever they want. Many hardware makers and carriers are willing to play ball with Android, because it "bows down" to them.

With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft tells the carriers when they must issue software updates, and tells manufacturers how they must design the phones in order to run the operating system. This ensures a consistent experience among different devices. And that is why Windows Phone faces so much difficulty gaining traction in the market, Kindel says. It creates friction among Microsoft, the carriers and the manufacturers.