I've gone back and forth on this one, but despite what seems to be the mainstream sentiment that Apple has unequivocally won the smart phone war, I strongly believe that the war has yet barely begun, and at best Apple is the latest consumer darling until they are unseated by one of its rivals, some of which have yet to enter the market yet. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is already getting criticized for not being a “sexy” OS, but as long as Microsoft learned a few things with the Kin flop and doesn't completely bungle what I believe will prove to be the most significant event in their history since the Windows 95 launch – here's three reasons why I think they have a real chance at regaining respect and significant market share in the mobile space.
#1. Mobile Market Is Still In Its Infancy
Looking around you every day you might make the mistake that everyone has a smartphone these days. The truth is, this is still a nascent market where feature phones and regular handsets still dominate, even in developed countries. The divide is even greater in developing regions, with Gartner expecting the smartphone market to “treble to 525 million units by 2012 from 179 million in 2009”. It might come as a surprise to many, but
1. Windows EcoSystem2. Market Share3. Blackberry Effect
Research house Gartner expects the smartphone market would nearly treble to 525 million units by 2012 from 179 million in 2009