Microsoft set to launch Microsoft Windows Phone 8

On 29 October, Microsoft is going to launch its new operating system-Microsoft Windows Phone 8- at an event in San Francisco. This OS has already been released for tablets and PCs, but now, it would be launched for smartphones out there. This event would take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, where the official launch of the smartphone’s version would be witnessed, employing Nokia and other companies’ phones for a test-run.

As witnessed, this year proved to be full of activities for Microsoft Inc. considering the release of Office 2013, a refurbished Bing search engine, Windows Server 2012, and now finally, an operating system. Nokia, which is the main auxiliary company in terms of promotion, is heavily counting on Microsoft to present a good-enough OS that would save its Nokia Lumia 820 & Lumia 920’s market. Unfortunately, up till now, Nokia has been reported of a $1.27 billion third-quarter loss (till Oct.18), mainly because of its ‘declining sales’ in the Lumia chronology. These Lumia phones in the line-up were using Windows Phone 7 which managed to attain a sales level of only 2.9 million units internationally, where it fell from 4 million units in the second quarter of the year.

Microsoft’s decision of not upgrading Windows Phone 7 to 8 was certainly a shocker for Nokia, where consumers see those prior phones less attractive. The reason, being explained by Microsoft at the Windows Phone Summit, was that the new WP8 was primarily designed to be compatible with multi-core processors, where WP7 had a single-core. However, they gave a solution to owners of older phones to upgrade it to WP7.8 from a WP7.5 version. Apart from this, Samsung and HTC have also revealed phones supporting WP8.

Michael Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity, considers that Nokia’s per ceptibility for 2013 is difficult on the basis of its business units. He also said that even Microsoft launches its WP8, it would be challenging for Nokia to regain or attain the position it searches for. Well, that seems considerably convincing, especially after acknowledging that the biggest giants of smartphone OS that are Google Android and Apple iOS, have a market share of 68 percent and 16.9 percent, respectively. Windows Phone has had a market share of only 3.5 percent, which is lower than the old & retired Symbian OS which hovers at 4.4 percent!

The ‘beleaguered’ RIM (Research in Motion) was even better off than WP (Windows Phone), as Blackberry smartphones positioned themselves third with a 4.8 percent market share. So, it seems legit why Nokia is distressed for its future. But nothing can be said until the new Windows Phone 8 OS comes in action.

Personally, I believe that with the tremendous features of Nokia Lumia 920, users won’t be much bothered with the Windows Phone 8.