Windows Phone has a bright future. We know that the next large update for the mobile OS from Microsoft is set to bring a plethora of new features to devices, and plenty of those new features will make their old phone seem like a brand new one all over again. But unfortunately for Microsoft and Windows Phone, it seems like a few key people aren’t really jumping on the bandwagon quite yet, even if they have stuck their toes in the water. Specifically, with a recent leak outlining the future releases of some of Verizon’s biggest handsets for the end of 2011, Windows Phone is a missing element.
First, let’s just point out right here and now that these leaks aren’t definitive by any means. Things change, and plans for devices, strategies, and plenty of other things can turn up sour or stay right on track. The leaks are a good judge of what’s coming, though, even if we can’t definitively say when a device is coming out. With this latest leak, Verizon subscribers have plenty to be excited about, especially if their upgrade is coming up here in just a few months. But, going just off this leak mind you, if you were waiting until this holiday season to get yourself a new Windows Phone-powered device, you may be out of luck.
This isn’t the first time that Windows Phone hasn’t been seen in the best light when talking about Verizon. A few months back, the wireless carrier’s Chief Technology Officer Tony Melone painted a pretty clear picture as to how he thinks Windows Phone stacks up for the network. If you’ll recall, Melone suggested that Big Red didn’t “need” Microsoft and their mobile OS, even with the partnership with Nokia. It’s actually because of that comment, and the fact that Verizon even managed to stumble over the release of their first (and only) Windows Phone handset, the HTC Trophy, that has me so worried about this latest leak.
As was aforementioned, there could be –and probably are—other handsets coming down the pipe before the end of 2011 for Verizon. This leak may or may not show every phone that’s coming, and so there’s a bit of hope that some high-end Windows Phone device is just waiting to sneak attack unsuspecting Verizon subscribers. But if past comments from company officials, along with the launch strategy for previous devices, then it doesn’t look like Windows Phone has a bright future on their hands within Verizon’s ranks.
Whether or not Verizon, or perhaps more specifically key officials within Verizon, think that Verizon “needs” Windows Phone, it shouldn’t be about that. The carrier should be providing new, bold, and engaging options for their subscribers. And let’s face it, Microsoft is a huge company, so why they would be shrugging them off seems odd to me. Then again, sales of the iPhone 4 and all of their Android-based handsets have been quite lucrative, so maybe Big Red just believes putting any effort, and especially marketing effort, into another mobile OS isn’t worthwhile. I think it’s worth noting here that the Pre3 wasn’t on that list, either, and it was originally believed that that device would be landing on Verizon’s network sometime in the future.
That last tidbit will either enforce the fact that we’re basing this off a leak, and that it’s perfectly plausible that a lot of things are going to change; or it could mean that Verizon’s sticking with their current focus, and there isn’t much room for additional operating systems. But where do you stand on Verizon’s rumored lack of Windows Phone devices? Do you care? Are devices like the Motorola DROID Bionic and HTC Vigor keeping your eyes firmly placed on Android? Or have you been waiting to get your hands on a Windows Phone device this holiday season, and hope this leak isn’t accurate? Let me know in the comments below.