Microsoft has announced that devices based on its Windows Phone platform are going to get a number of new features next year in attempts by the company to compete in the market for high end smartphones. Andy Lees, the president of the mobile division of the company, said while speaking at a conference that Windows Phone devices are going to support features like LTE and NFC sometime in the future, suggesting that these capabilities might be added to the smartphones in 2012.
He also gave the reasons for Microsoft’s preference for specific processors and other components used in the devices running Windows Phone OS saying that it was a move to avoid fragmentation in the products. He said that the hardware and software vendors are going to get more freedom in the future.
Its acceptance of new technologies like LTE and NFC, along with new freedoms for the manufacturers to use the parts that they want, could pave the way for Windows Phone to dislodge market leaders Android and Apple from the top positions. Devices based on Windows Phone platform, such as HTC Titan and Radar are considered to currently lie in between the high and mid-range handsets, which keeps those customers looking for the best of features and specifications from giving the platform a try.
Later this year, the Focus and Focus S smartphones from Samsung will join the smartphones based on the Windows Phone OS on the AT&T networks. However, these phones will not be equipped with the similar high-end hardware which is required to compete effectively with the Android based phones like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Razr along with the iPhone.
Microsoft currently wants to increase its share in the market by offering very affordable phones through most major wireless carriers; however, the phones which appeal to users looking for the best features will also have a big role to play in the success of Microsoft in the market. Through offering a more balanced portfolio of smartphones, Microsoft might be able to effectively challenge Android smartphones which are available in both the low end and the high end segment.
Many research firms such as IDC and Gartner have also predicted that Windows Phone will be the second largest smartphone OS in the next three years. Despite starting slowly, the Windows Phone platform finally seems to be gaining significant interest from the users.
