Microsoft indicated a September release of Windows Phone Mango, as the company looks to gain ground this fall amidst increasing smartphone competition.
Microsoft first announced it would update the Windows Phone 7 back in May, after critics gave its initial software positive reviews but criticized the OS for missing a few key features. The company hopes the Mango update will fill in the gaps by offering several new business features and more options in the user interface.
Microsoft has a lot to gain if it can pull off an impressive upgrade. The company is far behind Google and Apple in mobile market share, and even BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, sliding currently in the market, holds a comfortable lead over the software giant. But Windows Phone Mango is the company's first attempt to reverse the trend.
While Microsoft has a lot riding on the update, the company still has its work cut out for it. If Mango rolls out this September as Microsoft's tweet suggests, it will be going up against fierce competition in the smartphone market.
By the end of the summer, Android will bolster its market presence with top-of-the-line devices on both Verizon and Sprint. Verizon is expected to begin offering the Droid Bionic sometime in August, while Sprint hedges its bets by going into the fall with the Photon 4G.
As for iOS, no one quite knows for sure when Apple will release the next iPhone, but speculation suggests a September debut as well. Whenever the iPhone debuts, however, it will likely be a top seller, especially with its distribution on Verizon and AT&T, the top two national carriers.
Microsoft's success will also be contingent on the devices the software ships with. The company is expected to offer several different Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices by the end of the year through manufacturers like Samsung, HTC and LG. But the company's biggest partnership will be with Nokia.
In April, Nokia finalized a deal with Microsoft to abandon the Finnish company's Symbian and immediately move forward with the Windows Phone in all its future handsets. The first Nokia Windows Phones are set to debut in Europe later this year, and hit U.S. markets shortly thereafter. Microsoft's September launch could be a prelude to much bigger things to come.
Microsoft has an uphill battle to gain market share from rivals. Windows Phone 7 Mango is the company's first step towards regaining mobile market share, and if the Imagine Cup tweet means anything, it may all start in September.
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