Ever since Apple introduced the iPhone, Microsoft has seen the growth in the number of smart phones using Windows Mobile go down every year. Google compounded Microsoft's problems when the Android operating system came out in 2009. However, the Redmond, WA software giant is making a huge push to reverse this recent trend as demonstrated by unveiling Windows Phone 7 Series at the 2010 Mobile World Congress.
It has taken more than three years for Microsoft to produce an OS that provides meaningful competition to companies like Apple, Palm, and Google. Microsoft's previous offerings, Windows Mobile 6.5 and prior versions, gave users a clumsy and awkward interface. They were attempts to mimic the desktop interface on hand-held devices and generally failed.
The new interface is a quite a large departure from what Microsoft tried in the past and the current industry standard. Most of the popular smart phones that have gone on the market in the last few years present you with a matrix of small glossy icons. In some cases, users have to navigate as many as 20 thumb-sized icons in order to use their phones. Instead, the 7 series gives the user seven large, flat icons. The feel of the interface is similar to the Zune HD with simple, beautiful graphics and large, easy to read text. In comparison, the iPhone is finally starting to show its age.
What does Windows Phone 7 Series mean to Microsoft and its smart phone competitors? First, it announces in a bold fashion that the Redmond-based company wants to remain a relevant part of the growing market for mobile computing devices. Second, Microsoft has learned from the successes of phones like the Pre and Droid, and applied that knowledge to a complete and total re-write of its mobile OS. Finally, the boldness of this product carries with it some large risks.
The entirely revamped OS means that many or most applications for Windows Mobile will not work. However, many users may be delighted to pay for new applications in exchange for a modern cell phone OS. The newness and innovation of the user interface also poses a large gamble. Have Apple and Google found the pinnacle of the modern mobile operation system user interface? Will only small iterations be acceptable to the public at large? It remains to be seen whether or not Microsoft's interface gamble will pay off with large scale user adoption of Windows Phone 7 Series based phones.
Taylor Reuben is a technology junkie. He spends a lot of his time writing about computers and technology over at the Community Brain.
