Android dominated Mobile World Congress earlier this week, with the HTC Magic stealing the show, alongside other valiant efforts from LG and Motorola to get in on the action.
Of course, Microsoft also got a slice of the limelight with Windows Mobile 6.5, but we reckon its days could be numbered. There are tell-tale signs that Windows Mobile is already on its deathbed. What are they? We’ll reveal all after the jump.
Microsoft is at pains to position Windows Mobile as one of the world’s most popular mobile operating systems. And it is, kind of.
According to Microsoft’s senior vice president of mobile communications, Andy Lees, a whopping 80% of all Windows Mobile smartphones ever made have come from one company: HTC.
Should it be worried that HTC is now also dabbling with Android? We would be, and the reasoning is simple.
In an earnings conference call last month, Microsoft stated that 5 million Windows Mobile smartphones were sold in the last quarter of 2008. That compares to T-Mobile’s expectations of selling 500,000 G1 phones in the same period. Does the G1, the world’s only Android-powered handset, already represent the equivalent of 10% of Windows Mobile sales?
It looks that way, and the situation’s going to get a lot worse for Microsoft. The HTC Magic has just been announced. It’s exclusive to Vodafone, and yep, it runs Android.
What’s more, Samsung is planning its own Android phone, and LG has updated one of its existing models to use Android too. Motorola is also expected to hop on Google’s OS bandwagon this year, with “many” handsets planned.
So, if a single Android-powered phone can achieve a tenth of the total Windows Mobile sales in just three months, imagine what Android is capable of with more handsets under its belt. And then there’s the killer question: Will HTC ever drop Windows Mobile entirely?
There’s a chance. After all, there’s a recession on, and adopting Android would mean HTC pays zero licensing fees, while Microsoft continues to charge for its software, putting a dent in the profit margins of any company that uses it.
Is Android on the verge of putting the boot in to Microsoft? Give us your thoughts below.
