Microsoft Windows is the most popular computer based operating system prevalent today. Though OSX and Linux are well known players in the market, the basic foundations were laid by Microsoft. However, the same does not hold true for the mobile OS segment. Microsoft took its own sweet time to refresh its mobile offerings after ceasing development of Windows Mobile and the popularity of its desktop counterpart doesn’t seem to have helped much.
Windows Phone 8 currently runs on devices manufactured by Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Huawei. Since its release a few months ago, there have been no major updates to the OS (except a minor update called Portico). An update, code-named as Apollo Plus, was expected to release during the recently concluded Mobile World Congress but instead the company completely stayed away from the event, allowing Nokia to release a host of Lumia devices instead.
Microsoft is generally very secretive about its updates, but this time they seem to have left a hint in one of their job postings for a software development engineer for phone testing. The job details implied that Microsoft is targeting the holiday season of this year to roll out its next update which will bring ‘new killer devices’ and ‘delightful user experiences’. Sadly, users are still in the dark as to what exactly will be offered with the update. The update is expected to coincide with the “Windows Blue” update (the next major update to Windows 8) and will be delivered over-the-air in all probability, as Microsoft has envisaged going forward from Windows Phone 8
Microsoft’s cosy relationship with Nokia seems to have had a negative impact on other companies like LG Electronics that previously manufactured Windows Phone based smartphones. Though LG released the Quantum with Windows Phone, the company seems to be reluctant to embrace the operating system. The various difficulties that the platform faces with both consumers and vendors have also contributed to this disinclination. Due to high demand for Android devices in the market and dearth of resources, LG officially stopped manufacturing Windows Phone based devices last year. Instead, it is focusing on Android and the Firefox Mobile OS, launched at the MWC this year. This surprisingly contradicts a recent story that claimed that LG was planning to release a Windows Phone 8 handset this year.
Sony has also resisted releasing a Windows Phone device, stating that the company is waiting for demand to pick up before jumping in. As the number of companies that endorse Windows Phone reduces, Microsoft will mostly have to rely and strongly work on the updates in order to increase their market presence which stands at 2.4% of the smartphone market.
