Shows off next version of its OS and a range of new apps making use of it
The analysts clearly believe the Windows Phone OS has a bright future, but how about app developers? Microsoft made its latest pitch this week at its MIX11 conference in Las Vegas, giving attendees another look at the next version of Windows Phone, and the development features around it.
The company's corporate vice president of Windows Phone program management, Joe Belfiore, says that the key aim is to help developers make apps that are "even faster, more capable and better integrated with Windows Phone", while also promising to put developers "at the forefront of 'what's next'".
It's a slightly gruesome soundbite ? in my experience, a lot of developers are resistant to jam-tomorrow rhetoric, preferring to seek their fortunes at the forefront of what's making money right now. Even so, the messages and demos coming out of MIX11 show Microsoft's continuing efforts to try to position itself as a credible counterpart to iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and webOS.
Some of the new features for Windows Phone are playing catch-up to those platforms. Application multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer and fast app switching for example ? something that should have really been in Windows Phone 7 at launch. Likewise providing access to the camera and motion sensor library, with Microsoft highlighting augmented reality as one of the key areas to benefit.
In other ways, Microsoft wants to get developers tying their apps more deeply into its mobile OS ? for example, by making use of its Live Tiles feature to display more information on the home screens of Windows Phone handsets. The company already wants developers to make their apps fit neatly into the visual aesthetic of Windows Phone 7.
The results are good for users, but arguably riskier for Microsoft if it increases the perception among some developers that taking apps to WP7 requires more investment.
But credibility remains the main message of MIX11, with Microsoft showing demos of new apps from Skype, Spotify, Amazon and Layar among others that will make use of the new features in its next major update to the Windows Phone OS. The analyst perception of the smartphone market as (at least) a four-horse race is increasingly shared by the bigger internet services.
The question is whether developers, media companies and brands are reaching that tipping point too. This week saw rumbles from games developers about lower-than-expected revenues from Windows Phone 7, while many of the brands and publishers ? if they're looking beyond iOS ? can currently only see as far as Android.
When I've talked to developers in recent months, they've tended to fall into two camps when it comes to Windows Phone. One camp talks about Windows Mobile, and are essentially refusing to invest in its successor until there are proven success stories of developers making hay on the platform. The other camp talks about Xbox ? Microsoft's success with that platform despite widespread cynicism in its early days ? and say they are increasingly keen to get onto WP7 early.
Microsoft's recently released stats on WP7 app usage ? users download 12 apps a month on average ? were part of its efforts to convert more developers into the latter camp.
What do you think? As a developer, what do you think of Microsoft's efforts to establish Windows Phone as a long-term runner in the smartphone race, rather than an early faller? Post a comment and join the debate.
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