While Microsoft did announce back in January that some 2 million Windows Phone 7 devices had been shipped to carriers since the launch of its newest mobile operating systems, just how many of these found their ways into customer hands has remained a mystery. LG, one of Microsoft’s launch partners, suggested that sales had not met its expectations but did not reveal any numbers.
Russian site Mobile-review.com’s Eldar Murtazin has now estimated that Microsoft sold 674,000 Windows Phone 7 devices in 2010. This number excludes the free smartphones that Microsoft gave to its employees. Murtazin goes on to call the launch a failure, indicating that Microsoft failed to create a product that appealed to consumers.
It remains to be seen if the upcoming Mango update (Windows Phone 7.5) and the Nokia partnership will help revive Microsoft’s mobile operating system fortunes.
Note: The ‘Read more’ link is in Russian. [Google translation]