The early numbers are in for Microsoft’s brand-new phone operating system Windows Phone 7: 1.5 million handsets sold to date. However, that number requires some explaining.
Microsoft on Tuesday morning published a faux interview with Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows phones, who says Windows Phone 7 is growing fast.
The “sales” number is a bit tricky.
“Another is phone manufacturer sales — phones being bought and stocked by mobile operators and retailers on their way to customers,” Berg said. “We are pleased that phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million phones in the first six weeks, which helps build customer momentum and retail presence.”
To be clear, that means Microsoft has sold 1.5 million phones to mobile operators and retailers to put on their shelves, not 1.5 million phones activated by customers.
Then again, I’d be surprised if 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 handsets were activated already: Microsoft is entering a market already dominated by Google and Apple.
Google claims it’s activating 300,000 Android phones a day, and Apple claims 270,000 iPhones are activated each day. Microsoft has a lot of catching up to do before it can start boasting similar numbers.
However, Berg’s statements generally give a modest overview on a fresh, new start. Berg adds that after just six weeks, Microsoft has recruited 18,000 developers, and there are 4,000 Windows Phone 7 apps available in its app store. The number the company gives — 1.5 million “sales” — isn’t a sales figure we’d usually care about, but it shows that the software giant has a solid foundation of partners to help Windows Phone 7 potentially gain a foothold in the smartphone market in the coming years.
Next year will provide a better glimpse into Windows Phone 7’s performance on the market. A software update introducing copy-and-paste and other new features is due sometime early 2011, and we’ll probably see Verizon getting on board to carry Windows Phone 7 devices, as well.
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