Symbian's Heads for Less than 50%

[Andy Sjostrom]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS2120907124.html' target='_blank'>http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS2120907124.html</a><br /><br /></div>Research company <a href="http://www.abiresearch.com/reports/WSOF.html">ABIresearch</a> believes that "by 2009, Symbian's share of the mobile phone operating system market could stand at less than 50 percent, and most of the remainder will have been seized by Microsoft". An article on WindowsForDevices.com pulls from the study: "Microsoft is definitely interested in this opportunity, says Pellegrini, and its advantage is that the mobile OS segment is miniscule compared to the rest of its business. "Money is not really an issue for them," he says. "They have even talked about offering free Windows Mobile licenses, just to get the product used."<br /><br />It is about Symbian vs Microsoft. Linux is still a wild card. Palm has shot themselves in the foot too many times. Personally, I believe it is just a matter of time until Microsoft has more than 50% of the smartphone market. More models, better retail presence, and most importantly better products are what's required. We'll get there. Think I am wrong? Tell me why!

[possmann]

I think you are right on.

[Kris Kumar]

Andy, I support your claims.

Guy Kewney over at eWEEK has written an article analyzing the mobile OS market. Click here for the article. (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1665079,00.asp)

"One day, the story may be told of why developers' tool house Metrowerks pretty much abandoned two of its best customers—Palm and Symbian.

"But when it is told, I don't expect the story to be told by a smug Microsoft smart phone manager. Call me skeptical, but the idea that Microsoft, with the most bloated platform in the mobile business, is going to be able to sneak in under the big, powerful phones that Symbian creates just sounds like fantasy...I'll happily concede that, when it comes to Windows Mobile, Microsoft code is much, much tighter and better than the desktop version of Windows. Most developers seem to think so, anyway. They even praise Microsoft for making some kind of attempt to reconcile its various platforms...Microsoft smart phones may have a chance of knocking Symbian off its perch—but only at the top of the platform, not the bottom."


When it comes to developer support and maintaining consistency or backward compatibility between mobile OS versions, I agree with the writer that Microsoft does an awesome job. However I would like to differ on his final conclusion that Microsoft Windows Mobile for Smartphone will only conquer the high end market. Currently Microsoft and the Smartphone vendors are focusing their attention on the high end market. But that may not stay true forever. I feel that Microsoft Smartphone OS offers features that every market segment can benefit from.

[TANKERx]

Well, this is the week of the UK's Tory Party conference - and nobody believes their general election predictions either.

Maybe its the time of year.

However, I have had a think and I've decided to do Microsoft a favour by listing what it needs to do in order to one day, make a good Smartphone;

The 'Bish-Bash-Bosh' (aka 'Job Done') Factor
Nothing on the Microsoft Smartphone is straightforward. Many people just want to get the job done, so (for example) if someone says "How do I move this application into a folder", the answer is as simple as "Click Options, select 'Move'" (hence the bish-bash-bosh, Bob's your uncle and how's your father factor) instead of the usual "well, using the built in file manager (or you may have to install a free one - or one for which you can pay), navigate to IPSM (or Storage) then Windows then Start Menu, select your icon and select 'Cut', then move into the folder you want and select 'Paste' (that's assuming you have cut and paste in your preferred choice of file manager) and then you....... Hello? Hey, wake up!"

The GUI needs an overhaul - a complete overhaul to make it easy for people to do things with as few clicks as possible.

Sure, the Microsoft UI looks pretty, but while the pretty UI was the only advantage Microsoft Smartphones had some time ago, Series60 no looks just as pretty on the screen and it hasn't lost any functionality.

Conflicting Vision
Microsoft says it's aiming for the business/professional market, but the manufacturers clearly want to try and get some of the men-in-the-street if the advertising of the C500 down my local Orange store is anything to go by. Yet, if the C500 is aimed at the normal bloke who just wants to have a half tidy phone to slap in his tracksuit bottoms, why use a joystick that is unsuitable for games, a memory card that (so far) can only be bought on-line and not have a proper graphics engine (yes, I know there's a GAPI update coming but what if all this chap knows about computers is that his daughter 'talks to people over an internet somewhere'?)

Secure Impression
In the real world, where people think that Microsoft is still run by Bill Gates and they have never heard of Steve Ballmer (Microsoft's answer to John Prescott, only not as sophisticated as the great British pie-eater), Microsoft's name still stinks of poor security. If a Windows PC without additional security software can't sit on the internet for more than quarter of an hour without getting itself infected with more lurgy than a Victorian sewer, then people won't trust the phones.

Standards
It's good to see that Microsoft is finally waking up to its responsibility to follow standards such as MMS, but it still keeps a good bargepole's length between it and anything that is open such as SyncML, ESMS and so on. It needs to realise that it can't dictate the Smartphone market like it does the PC Market. As long as it keeps relying on immoral tactics to get ahead in the marketplace, it will fall because it's not big enough to do that with Smartphones just yet. It's already following Symbian's lead in regard to innovation, but it has a way to go when it comes to accepting standards.

[TANKERx]

I've just re-read the topic subject; "Symbian's Heads for Less than 50%" which kind of suggests that Symbian is selling its managers for less than half their value!

Now that is an insulting post!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Mike Temporale]

I've just re-read the topic subject; "Symbian's Heads for Less than 50%" which kind of suggests that Symbian is selling its managers for less than half their value!

Now that is an insulting post!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:rotfl:

[hardaway]

I was persuaded by all the posts on this site that I should no longer wait for the MPX 220, so while in Europe a couple of weeks ago I bbought a Siemens SX-1 from TMobile. The only thing I don't like about it (so far) is that the screen scratches because it's not a clam shell, so you have to carry it in its holder. That makes it hard to dial, because the numbers are along the sides of the phone. It look cool, though, and works very well. Very easy to use, and I could sync my Mac calendar to it via Bluetooth.