After weeks of having a launch date that seems to keep moving around, it appears that as the end of the year draw closer, Microsoft is becoming more resolute. Recent reports show that an October launch is not just the most likely, but it is also the expected and planned launch date for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system.
For quite some time now, Microsoft’s presence in the mobile market has been strongly limited to the business sector. While they placed second to Research in Motion’s BlackBerry in terms of market dominance, they hardly had any footing with casual users –even during the growth of the smart phone market. This was because Microsoft’s design lacked many important elements that users wanted with their mobile devices and this is why it was important for a new operating system to be made.
Last February, Steve Ballmer showed the world that Microsoft has what it takes to develop an operating system for mobile phones that would be useful for general users, and now, several months later, the WP7 OS is in technical testing with developers on track with the end of the year launch.
Initial reactions to the new OS are mixed. Microsoft has strayed off from the older icon based menus of Apple’s iPhone, but at the same time, they have adopted a slightly awkward artistic menu style that leaves an entire chunk on the right side of the screen as blank. Others appreciate the bold step that MS is taking with the UI design.
Of course, there is more to the OS than just a new user interface. It has also been confirmed that several new features will be integrated into the Windows Phone 7. Zune, Bing, Xbox Live Games and Silverlight are just some of the new additions that users should be excited to get.
Tags: Microsoft, Steve-Ballmer, WP7