It’s time to separate fact from fiction. Microsoft has formally announced they’ve sold more than 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices in just six weeks. It took the original iPhone 74 days to top one million units sold, is Windows Phone 7 a home run?
The news comes by way of an interview with Achim Berg, Microsoft’s vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phones. Officially, Berg went on record to say, “We are pleased that phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million phones in the first six weeks, which helps build customer momentum and retail presence.”
A lot has changed since 2007 when the original iPhone went on sale. Today, Android activates a reported 300,000 units per day — a staggering number, but understandable given the global footprint through carrier contracts. Apple on the other hand, activates 275,000 iOS devices and some days over 300,000 (based on Q4 2010 conference call with Steve Jobs).
Compared to the current sales date for Android and iOS, Windows Phone 7 has a long way to go before being considered a formidable competitor. For now, the results remain impressive and the launch is widely considered a success.
We give Microsoft credit, it’s not everyday that a mobile OS is willing to re-invent itself. The steps Microsoft took to turn Windows Phone 7 into fresh face are starting to pay off. A growing app market and thousands of developers will only continue to help this cause.
It’s a little too early to tell whether Windows Phone 7 will be a challenger to Android and iOS, but 2011 will be the year our questions are answered. What do you think about the Windows Phone 7 sales data? Is 1.5 million units sold in six weeks enough to make you consider a WP7 device as your next smartphone purchase?
via ZDNet
