Nine manufacturers were added to the short list of those who will release smartphones with Microsoft's operating system.
Aside from its own Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei, which have at least a proposal for a Windows smartphone, Microsoft will cooperate with more manufacturers from Asia to expand into markets-«key».
The list includes lesser‑known manufacturers in the US and Europe, such as Foxconn, Gionee, Lava (Xolo), Longcheer, JSR and Karbonn. The only ones known in the West are Lenovo, LG and ZTE, who will also add to their range besides Android and Windows Phone.
Microsoft Corp. will also expand its list of phone manufacturers and will cooperate with Lenovo and the factories of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.
Result of these partnerships will be the creation of a broader range of smartphones with Windows, with offerings in all price categories. The company, in its related announcement, cited an IDC study which shows that its own operating system, although still a small player with a market share measured on the fingertips of one hand, had the highest growth rate in 2013 and recorded the biggest sales increase compared to the competition – although, of course, one must add to this picture the growth margins that Android and iOS now have, which dominate the market.
Microsoft also announced that the new Windows Phones will be able to be based on Qualcomm's chips, Snapdragon 200 and Snapdragon 400, as it added them to the supported SoCs. Indeed, Microsoft's partnership with Qualcomm is clearly expanding, with the chip manufacturer becoming a close partner that mediates by providing reference designs to the aforementioned new Windows Phone manufacturers.
Also, the operating system will support chips for mobile phone networks of different technologies. Finally, we expect to see Windows Phone “phablet”, i.e., a smartphone with a much larger screen - something between a tablet and a smartphone.
In.gr Technology (Photo: Reuters )
