Mobility industry needs strong Microsoft presence, experts say

Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems have distanced themselves from the pack within the mobility industry. The two are far and away the most popular choices among consumer mobile users and are quickly gaining ground on longtime enterprise leader BlackBerry from Research In Motion.

However, the mobility industry remains in flux, according to various industry experts. Speaking at the recent Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco, Lixin Cheng, the CEO of Chinese manufacturer ZTE’s U.S. division, was among those who called for a strong presence from Microsoft.

“Apple’s iOS is a closed system,” Cheng said, according to a recent report from the Register. “Android is mainstream, but I do believe the industry needs another operating system to keep competition healthy.”

A stronger presence from Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 mobile OS could be especially beneficial for the enterprise mobility sector. Many of the desktop applications and systems run by a majority of companies are supported by the Windows operating system. So utilizing the company's mobile version only seems natural.

However, most mobility managers already have enough to deal with in terms of mobile device management. They already oversee of three mobile platforms, given the rise of the iPhone and Android-based devices, along with the continued use of BlackBerry devices. Adding a fourth in WP7 would force them to work even harder to ensure that a mobility program runs smoothly.

Such a move may be inevitable. Experts have lauded the partnership forged between Microsoft and handset manufacturer Nokia last year and other market leaders are planning to leverage WP7 moving forward.

At the conference, Kevin Packingham, a senior vice president at Samsung, agreed with Cheng that another major player will be key for mobility innovation, the Register reported.

“I would never characterize Microsoft as a ‘hedge your bets’ strategy,” he said, according to the Register. “We have a great partnership with Google, but Microsoft has done some very innovative things which will make it very popular.”

Though sales for WP7-based devices were slow upon the platform's launch last fall, various research firms have predicted big things for Microsoft's offering during the next several years. According to IDC, WP7 should grow to command more than 20 percent market share and serve as the second most popular platform by 2015. Much of the success will be buoyed by the partnership with Nokia, researchers said.