Microsoft has big expectations for its newly launched Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) operating system. Speaking with AllThingsD, Andy Lees, President, Windows Phone Division, said: “We’re not making specific predictions but I think that our momentum is going to build. Our first (release) was about mindshare, and really getting the credibility, and I think (Mango) is really about starting to build unit volume and market share.” The company is looking to establish itself as the third most popular mobile operating system and a viable alternative to Apple and Android.
Lees was asked why some cutting-edge technologies such as dual-core processors and LTE connectivity did not make it onto the current crop of Windows Phone devices. He responded that Microsoft’s strategy is to “put things in place that allow us to leapfrog” its competitors. He confirmed that both are coming to Windows Phone but did not provide specific timelines.
For now, Lees expects that the current single-core offerings will “be faster in usage than any dual-core phone that you put against it.” Microsoft also opted to wait until its software is better able to take advantage of multiple cores. It is taking the same approach with LTE. “The first LTE phones were big and big (users) of the battery, and I think it’s possible to do it in a way that is far more efficient, and that’s what we will be doing,” Lees said.
Microsoft is already hard at work on the next major version of Windows Phone. Whether a minor update happens before that release is still undecided though.