Skip to main content

IDC predicts promising future for Windows Phone 7

wp7 futureDespite the mess it made of the Windows Phone 7 update, there is some good news for Microsoft on the horizon. The International Data Corporation (IDC) announced today that it believes the Windows Phone 7 could become the second most popular mobile OS worldwide by 2015, second only to Android.

Seem like a bold prediction? That’s because it is. Microsoft still has a lot of balls up in the air with Windows Phone 7: The Nokia merger is still relatively fresh and flexible, the first crucial update was anything but smooth (hint: It’s not a good sign when a company apologizes for what should be a simple firmware upgrade), and we’ve still yet to hear any concrete sales (not shipment) numbers.  That said, Windows Phone 7 is not a failure — and the IDC seems to believe that it will be able to displace some of its more veteran competitors in the next four years. The forecast also claims that the Windows Phone platform will retain a 20.9-percent market share.

The organization also seems to have quite a bit of confidence in the Nokia-Microsoft merger. “The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform. We expect the first devices to launch in 2012.” The business deal between the two companies has been subjected to harsh criticism; its success has not been labeled a sure thing.

But all skepticism aside, it’s an exciting notion. Seeing a new platform make its way to the top a la Android would mean new innovation from the Windows Phone and perhaps spur some creative competition from the likes of Apple and RIM. The phone had a rocky, yet promising start – and if it can pull this one out and become a true challenger, we’re all for it.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
5 hidden iPhone 14 Pro features you need to use
iPhone 14 Pro in Deep Purple, held in a mans hand.

Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro has been out for a while now, and we’re going to be getting the iPhone 15 lineup in several more months. But that doesn’t mean that the iPhone 14 Pro is a bad phone – in fact, it’s still incredibly powerful! You have the fast and snappy A16 Bionic chip that powers it all, the new always-on display, Dynamic Island, 48MP main camera, and more. And since it uses iOS 16, there are plenty of fun software things to check out as well.

But unless you know where to look, you may not be utilizing all of the cool features of the iPhone 14 Pro, or at least making the most out of it. We’ll show you some of the best features that you should be using on your iPhone.
Take photos in full 48MP resolution

Read more
One iPhone 14 feature just saved three people’s lives
Person holding iPhone 14 searching for Emergency SOS satellite.

Apple launched its Emergency SOS via Satellite feature with the launch of the iPhone 14, and we're already seeing it save lives. This weekend, three Brigham Young University students were left stranded while exploring the canyons of the San Rafael Swell Recreation area in Utah and used the feature to call for help.

According to KUTV, the students became stranded in deep water during their time canyoneering and were unable to get out for several hours resulting in hypothermic shock to begin setting in. Due to the rural area they were in, the group wasn't able to call for help using regular cellular data. Luckily, Stephen Watts, one of the students, had an iPhone 14 and was able to use the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature to text authorities and share their location with them.

Read more
iPhone Lockdown Mode: how to use the security feature (and why you should)
Lockdown mode for iPhone

Apple takes pride in selling a promise of privacy to its customers, and to a large extent, it lives up to that promise. As cyber criminals devise new ways to target phones, with tools as sophisticated and virtually undetectable as the Pegasus spyware, Apple also keeps fortifying its devices.

One step in that direction is Lockdown Mode, an “extreme” safety measure that was introduced with iOS 16 last year. The feature blocks a lot of vectors through which a zero-click, zero-day spyware like Pegasus finds its way inside a phone. From phone calls and message attachments to shared albums and network profiles, Lockdown Mode limits those risk routes.

Read more