Microsoft and Windows Phone in 2012

Despite the fact that most of the spotlight of late has been on Apple’s historic holiday quarter as well as the Android retaining its lead in the mobile OS arena, there are indications galore that Microsoft’s Windows Phone is also showing signs of notable acceleration.

It is being speculated by industry watchers and experts that Windows Phone will grab a lot of attention in 2012, particularly with Microsoft and its hardware partners leaving no stone unturned to push the software strongly on to the path of progress.

That the gap between Microsoft and technology leadership has come down from two years to one is already evident from the fact that while Windows Phone 7 was a stupefying 2008 product released in 2010; Windows Phone 8 appears to be a wonderful 2011 operating system set for a late 2012 release.

One noteworthy boost which Windows Phone will get this year will be the March debut of two eagerly-awaited handsets – the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan 2 - which received rave reviews at the CES. The launch of the Lumia handset will be the more significant of the two, especially because of Nokia’s commitment to running Windows Phone on its smartphones.

The key areas which Microsoft needs to consider this year, in terms of progressing on its Windows Phone front, include the app development scenario, and the expansion of the company’s media ecosystem - including the music and video store and Zune music subscription service – to an increasingly number of regional and overseas territories.