Who's Behind the Resurgence of Windows Phone? - Forbes

It seems Microsoft may finally be pulling it all together.  The upcoming Windows 8 shows all the necessary signs of a promising cloud strategy across devices, while the Nokia team up has brought some bling back to Microsoft’s mobile line up.  Factor in the latest SmartGlass revelation, and it’s clear Microsoft is taking on the cloud full force.

Similar to Google, Microsoft’s pooling a strategy around its existing products, from game consoles to office software.  And similar to Apple’s strategy, Microsoft is streamlining its OS around a narrow device lineup, connecting everything in the cloud.  The payoff is already predicted to hit in 2016, when IDC expects Windows Phone to overtake Apple iOS as the second-most dominant mobile platform in the market.  And taking a look at some recent developments from Microsoft, IDC’s prediction may be onto something.

Their refocus has breathed new life into Microsoft’s brand, garnering consumer and developer support, even if only demonstrated by a raised eyebrow of curiosity.  And the third party frameworks are taking notice, shifting their own tactics to reflect the building buzz around Windows Phone in particular.  This week alone Telerik affirmed its dedication to Windows Phone with a new toolkit for the Metro UI.  And mobile ad network Millennial Media, recently gone public, has just added a Windows Phone SDK to their lineup.  Certainly, more third party platforms are seeking ways to segue developers into the world of Windows Phone.

“The [Microsoft] form factor is so useful for enterprises,” says Telerik’s Chris Sells, VP of their Developer Tools division.  “And the Metro-style dashboard is useful for presenting information at the higher level.

“The problem with Android and iOS is IT administrators have to make these work for the enterprise space, whereas the power of Metro UI combined with the fact that it’s Windows means you can integrate with an enterprise network much easier.  Microsoft is very interested in the consumerization of IT.”

Who’s pushing interest in Windows Phone now?

What is this resurgence of faith in Windows Phone and what’s its origin?  Is Microsoft pulling the strings, or has the Redmond, Wa. company truly struck a cord with developers and consumers?

It’s likely a combination of all of the above, converging in time for a Windows 8 release.  Microsoft’s certainly upped the ante on its marketing, even luring developers with monetary incentives in hopes of distracting mobile app makers away from rival platforms Android and iOS.  This week’s E3 conference was a phenomenal display of consumer appeal, with the announcement of 35 new content partners for streaming media through its Xbox gaming console-turned home entertainment hub.  There’s now over 30 million songs, sports-streaming from ESPN,  on-demand movies from Paramount and even popular cable lineups courtesy of a partnership with Comcast.

Let’s not forget SmartGlass, an application connecting your smartphone, tablet, smartTV and Xbox console.  Something like Apple AirPlay, Microsoft’s taking the broader approach by supporting Android and iOS devices as well.  SmartGlass lets you stream content across connected devices, providing a second screen that accompanies movies, TV shows or games from the main screen.  SmartGlass will, for instance, automatically pull up an interactive map on your tablet while you watch HBO’s Game of Thrones on TV.  From there you can search cast members, pulling up their family trees to contextualize the show as you watch each episode.

Though SmartGlass isn’t a commercially available product (look for it to hit the app stores sometime after this summer), it’s already being hailed as a possible technology to help save Windows Phone, its smartphones and tablets.  The potential game-changer really taps into the consumer market, and fits nicely with Microsoft’s extended goals around Kinect, Xbox, search and mobile devices.  Paul McDougall of InformationWeek sees this spilling into the enterprise sector, like the banking industry.  The real promise of SmartGlass is its adhesiveness in an interactive ecosystem that spans the consumer and enterprise gadget space, relying heavily on Microsoft’s pre-existing software outlets.  Indeed, Microsoft’s planted the seed, and the cloud is bringing the rain to make this ecosystem grow.

Cultivating loyal developers to boost the WP ecosystem

The result is a growing interest from developers, who tend to follow the consumer herd.  Mobile development platform Appcelerator has noted an uptick in developer interest for Windows Phone over the last three quarters, even as interest in Android declines.  “It’s driven primarily, we think, by developers looking for alternatives, and there’s a lot of promise around Windows, especially with the Nokia partnership and Windows 8,” says Mike King, Appcelerator’s principle mobile strategist.  “Early work and beta testing on the OS has been positive.”