Why Windows Phone 7 will succeed

Quite a bit of time has passed since we last analyzed Windows Phone 7 – now that the stuff is out for some time, I feel that we can take another step to look at Microsoft’s platform.

First of all: Windows Phone 7 is not for power users! If you come to Windows Phone 7 from a power user mindset, you have lost – Microsoft does not care about this segment.

This may be harsh, but makes sense: given that you are reading this, you already own a smartphone. Selling you a new phone is hard – you need to see value over your current device.

But let’s now look at another group of individuals: the 40yr old “partygoer”. He has a PC, knows Microsoft – and hears about smartphones all the time. For him, there obviously is the iPhone – and there’s Windows Phone 7.

The big benefit of the latter platform is not only the name. My tests with non-smartphone folks have shown WP7 to be tremendously popular among them; the platform feels natural to them in an extent I rarely saw before.

For developers, the benefit is threefold: first of all, you have Microsoft in your back. Secondarily, there is little competition. And finally, the 40yr old partygoing customer is a lot less “picky” than a power user…

Don’t get me wrong: I acknowledge that the sales numbers are not there yet. But this is not too much a problem – Microsoft will never abandon the OS, and is willing to bleed money all the way to +inf and back again.

If you ask me, WP7 is a “silent revolution” IMHO – it won’t take the headlights, but I predict that quite a few smart developers will be very happy with it in the future…

Related posts:

1. Windows Phone launched in India
2. Nokia goes Windows Phone 7
3. Microsoft shows first screenshots of Windows Phone 7 games
4. Windows Phone 7 app collage
5. Windows Phone 7 developers get paid