This clearly separates Microsoft from Google, which has provided some carriers with financial support for marketing but has otherwise left its platform to speak for itself with both customers and end users.
Despite all these factors working in Microsoft’s favor, it will still have to work phenomenally hard to make a success of its new operating system, and there are plenty of ways in which it can fail. If it does fail, having already seen Windows Mobile lose relevance and the Kin flop completely, this may be the last time it ventures into the mobile operating system market.
But our developer survey indicates strong interest from developers in either continuing to develop for a Microsoft mobile OS or doing so for the first time. Operators will be happy to have an alternative platform to put pressure on Apple, Goggle, and Nokia, and our forecasts predict Microsoft will put in a strong showing as one of a handful of major smartphone operating systems for several years to come.
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