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Microsoft tries to throw some cold water on iPhone

Jul. 21, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Computerworld has some interesting information about Windows Mobile vs. Apple's iPhone:

Companies -- lots of them -- are still buying Windows Mobile smart phones, and Microsoft doesn't want to let iPhone mania make them forget.

During Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, 325 enterprises purchased at least 500 Windows Mobile phones, with many buying many more, said Scott Rockfeld, group products manager for the mobile communications business at Microsoft, in a Friday interview.

"From the armed forces to the U.S. Court System, people are not just trying Windows Mobile, they are buying them," Rockfeld said, in apparent reference to a statement by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs last month that 35% of Fortune 500 companies were beta-testing the iPhone.

Moreover, seven of the 10 largest companies in the world, as ranked by Fortune magazine, bought Windows Mobile phones, including one enterprise that bought 100,000.

Windows Mobile smart phones actually outshipped iPhones by a margin greater than 2 to 1 in the first quarter of 2008, according to Gartner Inc.

And before anyone chimes in on that statistic, Q1 is before Apple stopped selling iPhones to make way for the iPhone 3G.

For the fiscal year that ended June 30th, Microsoft sold nearly 20 million Windows Mobile licenses, according to a letter last month by Microsoft Vice President Andy Lees.

And despite the iPhone 3G's strong opening-weekend sales, Rockfeld noted that technology research firm IDC predicted that Windows Mobile will continue to outsell the iPhone 2 to 1 in the consumer market by 2012 and in the business space by 9 to 1.

"So you can see the hype versus the reality," he said.

Or at least the estimates versus the widespread speculation.

Still, something to consider before you fall into the hype-r-bowl.

Discuss this Article 21

yert
on Jul 21, 2008
If Microsoft can put Surface into a phone, Apple is screwed.
Josh_Miller
on Jul 21, 2008
All I can say is that I got my first Smartphone around the end of March with my blackjack II and I love it a lot. It does almost anything I could ask from it, especially when coupled with an add on Micro SD card. And it's cheaper than an iPhone. I much prefer a keyboard to touch anyway. I had a Palm Lifedrive for a while but it's cumbersome to scrawl in any sort of text.
Ocean
on Jul 21, 2008
Yert --> Not even. The iPhone is rapidly reaching critical mass as a platform. The Windows mobile business will be fine though. These numbers are just a bit of pointless gesturing.
subzerohitman721
on Jul 21, 2008
Hold it Ocean..... Every other week or post, you put up NPD numbers for the video game consoles and make a point about numbers. But now Windows Mobile numbers don't matter? What kind of hypocrisy is this, when post after post, you chime in with numbers? You can't have your cake and eat it too. The bottom line is that the numbers do matter, but then you break it down with demographics to find other points of view. Anyways.... Microsoft has a right to tout the numbers. While the iPhone is doing fine, the last week's bombed launch will have reprocussions for Apple. Just as lack of polish of Windows Mobile has on their numbers. Microsoft and Apple both have their work ahead to improve.
lotsamystuff
on Jul 21, 2008
I passed on the iPhone in favor of the Centro, and I couldn't be happier with my choice (mainly because of carrier issues...Verizscum may be the lesser of two evils, but AT&T couldn't organize a pi$$ing contest in a brewery). The Centro is surprisingly good. Clearly, there are enough options to make everyone happy, but it's a sad state of affairs when the aging Palm OS makes Windows Mobile look lame by comparison (and yes...I've used both).
Ocean
on Jul 21, 2008
>>Every other week or post, you put up NPD numbers for the video game consoles and make a point about numbers. << Thats a lie...and it invalidates the rest of whatever you posted. I didn't bother reading it.
Snakedoctor1
on Jul 21, 2008
Two points that show that their should be no real comparison at this time... 1. Exchange support. WM has had it since it mattered (Exchange 2003/SP2 with WM 5.0) 2-3 years. iPhone got it 10 days ago. The adoption of the iPhone in a large corporation was a no go until 10 days ago as none were going to turn on IMAP just to support the iPhone. That is why Apple bought ActiveSync. So in 2-3 years lets see the numbers again. 2. Price. I can buy a BlackJack II for $59 through my corporate discount. It will cost me $199 for an iPhone. I can get just SMS paging for a BlackJackII which is all I really need for work for $20 unlimited. For the iPhone I have to get a $30 a month data plan, plus the $20 SMS plan that I NEED for work. WM mobile is a cheaper solution so even though the Exchange support has now been added to the iPhone and its penatration will go up in the corporate world. WM will always sell more based on price alone. See Wii crushed Xbox and PS3 in console sales. Price...price....price. Lastly its really hard to compare because MS only sells the license for WM and not the hardware. Where Apple sells the hardware. What would be more important to share holders is how much profit each makes.
Ocean
on Jul 21, 2008
Was it price alone that caused the Wii to crush the other two? He stated, I'm just asking.
lookmark
on Jul 21, 2008
I'm sure WM will continue to outsell iPhones for some time, but in an emerging market like smartphones marketshare isn't yet all that significant -- not until people form loyalties, and more importantly, start collecting mobile applications that they don't want to abandon. Otherwise, Symbian would be considered the winner by a long shot. Marketshare-wise, it crushes everything else. But I suspect Symbian is heading for a serious slide - few people even know they're using Symbian, and the number of apps out there people consider keepers are far and few between. Most are very crude. WM is better branded, but I've found the quality of applications are similar. Not so impressive. That's why the App Store is so significant, and why I think the competition won't really heat up until next-generation mobile OSes like Android and WM7 (and possibly the next generation of Symbian as well) enter the scene.
Snakedoctor1
on Jul 21, 2008
I would not say price alone for the Wii, the console has merit. I dont personally care for the Wii as I prefer more M rated games, and want HD gaming. Kids love it. Price for a mass consumer product is probably the #1 determining factor for most joe consumers.
cesjr
on Jul 21, 2008
What I find interesting is MS's need to say, hey, don't forget about us when it comes to smartphones. It kinda indicates that people are in fact forgetting about them - which must be a weird and uncomfortable position for MS. MS has a few big problems on its hands when it comes to windows mobile. One - it doesn't have a dominant position. Symbian does outside the US. RIM is king in the US. Two - any company that turns on support for winmobile will effectively be turning on support for the iPhone as well (both are Activesync). Third - this won't be a repeat of "there's no apps" for apple's offering. Apple has made iPhone development so easy, it has millions of units already out there (including iPod touch) and there's other factors like Google and the web that didn't exist when windows achieved its application dominance.
DRWAM
on Jul 21, 2008
You guys are killing me. Just when I think that I made up my mind to buy, you show the other good stuff. Winmobile just has so much to offer for a doctor, even inview of the MIMvista app for the iPhone [which I still believe is useless to interpret PET/CT, or even get any sense of disease extent, unless it's massive mets. Trust me, you will definitely miss subtle mets onan iPhone and you would wrongly stage the tumor, changing treatment draumatically]. Lotsa, are you bustin' on me as you know I kinda like the Centro, or do you really have one? Doc
lotsamystuff
on Jul 21, 2008
DRWAM: Seriously, I really do have the Centro. Just got it in and activated it over the weekend, and I love it. If Verizscum offered the iPhone, I'd probably get that, but the Centro is perfect for me right now. It replaced an aging BlackBerry that, frankly, I hated.
dtatgenho
on Jul 21, 2008
DRWAM: If you are looking for Windows Mobile on Palm hardware, get the Treo 800w. I'm not sure which wireless carrier you have, but the 800w just came out on Sprint last week and Verizon is supposed to release a gray/charcoal colored version by the end of September. I test-drove one at a Sprint store the day it was released and I didn't put it down for over an hour. The 800w is amazing, and I am literally counting down the days until Verizon gets this thing out the door. More info here, if needed: http://www.treocentral.com/content/Stories/1857-1.htm
BrightrevCarl
on Jul 21, 2008
@Snakedoctor1 Good posts. I agree.
DRWAM
on Jul 21, 2008
Thanks guys. I will add it to the list. My ATT contract expired last Feb, so I can go anywhere. The iPhone had some appeal since my staff and family gave me $400 in Apple gift cards for some reason [I'd rather have Lowes or HomeDepot cards], but it's great to be loved.
tayme
on Jul 21, 2008
I think that the biggest obstacle to truly large corporations that are required to comply to federal and state regulations will be the iTunes activation and sync requirement. Apple and/or AT&T should provide a way to activate and sync the iPhone without requiring iTunes to be installed on the desktop...why provide users with another way to waste company bandwidth and salary browsing and downloading tunes, videos, and games. --tayme
DRWAM
on Jul 21, 2008
You have a good point tayme. A while back, I found iTunes on a corporate computer and found joystick software on a DXA scanner';s computer. I'm in charge of DXA [for osteoporosis screening] and was quite annoyed. The practiced then made a policy to terminate anyone installing non-work related software, as well as other policies to prevent malware. I would not want iTunes on our corporate computers. Today, My buddy told me that iTunes probably has been the source of a few recent crashes on his high end PC.
drylight
on Jul 21, 2008
Windows Mobile is a lame old duck of an operating system. Took them so long to get it wrong. The way they implemented a mobile OS is so retarded that it's beyond comprehension. Stop being such a Windows fanboy and write more unbiased and fair "posts".
johnpapola
on Jul 21, 2008
@Tayme, I believe Apple has a different rollout system for iPhone support an administration in the enterprise. Not sure, but it's worth looking into.
DRWAM
on Jul 22, 2008
Oh well, I have been proven wrong, a little at least. I just got this email in The Daily Scan from RSNA [Radiological Society of North America]. Here's the headline: "iTunes may help radiologists organize PDF files, research indicates." Highlights: Most published medical papers are available on the internet in a PDF format now," said Li Jun Qian, MD, lead author of the study. iTunes has the ability to manage and organize PDF files just as easy as music files, allowing radiologists to better organize their personal files of articles and images, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Renji Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115532.php

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