Is Windows Phone 7 proving to be more than a blip on the smartphone radar

Currently, Windows phone 7 has approximately 1.6 percent of the smartphone market.  You can get smaller than that but no one wants to.  As it stands, Windows Phone 7 is well behind Android and iOS in market share, but it looks as if that might be changing.

According to MocoNews.net, Android currently holds 43.4 percent of the smartphone market.  It currently holds first place in U.S. market share and is climbing in Europe.  But earlier this month Forbes predicted that Windows Phone 7 would acquire 20 percent of the smartphone market by 2015. Seriously? From 1.6 to 20 percent?

Well according to a new NPD research report from its Connected Intelligence group that might not be so far fetched.  According to Electonista the survey showed that 44 percent of people who are looking for a smartphone when their current contract is up are looking at Windows Phone 7 as a possibility.  The people who showed such interest already had a smartphone or want to get one next time around.

Interestingly enough, Android still commanded the most interest and “scored as the most ‘preferred operating system’ among current smartphone owners and those who intend to buy a smartphone.”  That doesn’t include the iPhone/Apple lovers who wouldn’t consider any other smartphone operating system.

So while 44 percent will consider the Windows Phone 7 in a new smartphone, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft is looking at a huge jump.  On the contrary, 45 percent of all people surveyed looking for a smartphone or not, had never heard of Windows Phone 7.  Worse 50 percent of those surveyed wanted to purchase a smartphone but 46 percent of those potential buyers said they didn’t know enough about Windows Phone 7 to even consider it.

Another major reason why people weren’t interested in Windows Phone 7 was what is known as OS lock-in.  That’s when people have invested a lot of time and money in one operating system.  For instance, though I might consider an iPhone or even a Windows Phone 7 smartphone when my update time arrives, I will probably stick with Android because I have spend a lot of time learning about the operating system and have invested a lot of money in apps that I can easily move to my next Android smartphone.

Windows is investing a lot of money and time into Windows Phone 7 marketing and developers.  Just about any increase in market share will be a huge step for Microsoft in the smartphone arena.  At the rate that RIM and Symbian are falling, Windows Phone 7 stands a good chance of moving into double digit market share if the company keeps working on marketing and explaining why their oversized tiles aren’t simply giant icons.  It could indeed prove to more than a blip on the radar but only if they keep Windows Phone 7 in the headlines and explain exactly how the OS works and why its different.

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.

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