Microsoft Corp. remains optimistic about its Windows Phone 7 operating system despite of slowing sales and accelerating growth of two main competitors Apple iOS and Google Android. The company now declines to reveal the number of WP-based smartphones sold, admits that its overall market share is negligible, but claims that "millions" have been shipped.  

"Phones, we have gone from very small to very small, but it's been a heck of a year. You are going to see a lot of progress in that market competitively as we move forward. [...] A year ago, Microsoft had no Windows Phone. In the last year, we have sold millions of phones," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, at the Worldwide Partner Conference 2011.

Back in early 2011 a Microsoft executive said that partners of the company had shipped two million handsets based on Windows Phone 7 operating systems (OS) in Q4 2010. Windows Phone 7 launched in Europe and the Asia Pacific region on October 21 and in the United States and Canada on November 8. Two million units in 71 days means that around 28 thousand WP7-based phones were shipped daily. By contrast, in Q4 2010 around 300 thousand Google Android-based devices were activated daily, while in Q2 2011 the number of activated Android-powered products increased to 500 thousand.

At present Microsoft Windows Phone platform is believed to command from 2% to 4% of the smartphone market, down the its share a year ago. Nonetheless, the amount of applications designed for the operating system has increased to 20 thousand, according to Microsoft.

"It is certainly a very busy, active, competitive market. We have got a lot of work to do to break through. And yet, the people in the phone business believe us. We have already had over 20 000 applications built for Windows Phone in eight months. That's a faster ramp than either Android or iPhone had," said Mr. Ballmer.

The head of Microsoft believes that once Nokia starts to make smartphones featuring Windows Phone platform, the popularity of the operating system will increase automatically. Steve Ballmer also insists that the mobile market is extremely important for Microsoft and that the software giant has a strong roadmap for the WP.

"Nokia, who had a choice this year to bet on themselves, to bet on Android, or to bet on Windows Phone said for their bet the company strategy, they're going with Windows Phone. They saw our roadmaps. They saw what we have done. They saw what we're planning on doing. They're pushing us. They're pushing us to go broader geographically with Windows Phone. They're pushing us to hit new price points with Windows Phone. But, they believe," stressed Mr. Ballmer.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows Phone, Android, iOS, Blackberry