Good News For Windows Phone

Microsoft got several bits of good news for its mobile platform this week.

• Both AT&T and Verizon stated they would put a renewed effort into supporting Windows Phone.
• Steve Wozniak praised Windows Phone, claiming it is more beautiful than the iPhone and Android devices

AT&T has recently put some heavy marketing muscle behind Windows Phone with the Nokia Lumia 900, and that will apparently continue. Verizon, with its sole HTC Trophy released in the middle of 2011, has decided it is in its best interest to have a third viable platform after iOS and Android. This is very welcome news, but selling new devices won't be good enough. Microsoft must fix its update story. When Mango released, Microsoft and its partners performed very well. Most devices were updated within two weeks and only one or two exceptions weren't updated within a month. Things fell apart though with patches. Mango broke a few things, as software updates are bound to do. Microsoft rushed out fixes for some of the biggies, like Exchange 2003 support and the vanishing keyboard issue. Both were ready to go late last year. Verizon just recently rolled out these patches and AT&T still has yet to do so for many of its phones. You can be assured if Apple rolls out patches like these, they are in users hands within hours, not days, weeks or months.

For me, this new found commitment to Windows Phone is a good start, but not good enough. I'll be watching the update story for the next year or so before committing to buying another Windows Phone device. If Verizon and AT&T update Windows Phone like they have in the past, or like they continue to update Android devices, then I'll pass.

The Woz recently got a Lumia 900 from AT&T and has high praise for the device.

I'm kind of shocked. Every screen is much more beautiful than the same apps on Android and iPhone.

High praise indeed. He goes on to compliment the platform in how it looks and its usability, but wraps up saying the thing holding it back is the availability of apps.

Which brings me to my next topic. One of the best things about a smartphone is the ability to install apps that enhanced their functionality and enjoyment. I am a big fan of sites like Lifehacker that posts frequent download articles for a variety of platforms, including Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS X and Windows. It is rare that an app they look at is available on Windows Phone. For that reason, and others, I also subscribe to the Chip Chick rss feed. Every week these ladies review a hot download for all of the mobile platforms, including Windows Phone. Sometimes though for WP it seems they are reaching. I knew this week that was the case when I saw the app. A tip calculator. Seriously. Now, there is nothing wrong with the app itself and can be very useful. I think it speaks though to the platform as a whole when a tip calculator is the hot app of the week for a platform.

The other bit of news that is disturbing is the share for the platform. It keeps getting smaller according to ReadWriteWeb. Microsoft peaked in 2007, right as the iPhone was launching with 36% of the market. It was the largest smartphone platform at the time. Yeah, Symbian might have been larger, but I have never considered that a smartphone platform as it was just as often used on feature phones with limited addon capabilities.

Windows Phone 7 launched in October of 2010 and by then, Microsoft's share had dwindled to 8% as Windows Mobile had run out of steam. A year later, even after the launch of a few Nokia devices and the significant upgrade to 7.5, also known as Mango, share is down to 5%.  This share is the reason for the dearth of apps. Microsoft boasts over 80,000 apps in the marketplace, but where are the biggies? Angry Birds Space isn't out, though it came out on just about every other platform at least two weeks ago. Popular consumer sites like The Consumerist and Fooducate don't support Windows Phone. I know some banks support it, like Bank of America, but online banks, where an app is most critical, especially when it comes to  depositing checks, are missing in action. Ally Bank, Schwab and ING Direct are all supporting iOS and Android. A few even support the iPad specifically, but none support WP7.

I think 2013 will be the make or break year for the platform. Nokia is now on board, Windows Phone 8 will have been released and some US carriers will finally push it with the same energy that they push Android and iOS. If the platform doesn't take off in 2013, it never will. A big chunk of its success though rests in the hands of developers.