Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Marketplace is off to a good start, according to research firm IDC.
The Marketplace has reached 4,000 apps in just two months since launch and IDC analyst, Al Hilwa, believes this is a sign that the company’s app portfolio is growing. “The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace reaching 4,000 apps two months after launch has to be one of the most rapid ramp-ups in recent times, reaching this milestone faster than Android, which took from October 2008 to March 2009 to reach about the same level,” wrote Hilwa in a research note on December 19.
“We can say that for a company that just a few months ago was an also-ran in mobile, having 10 smartphones released in 30 countries is not a trivial achievement,” Hilwa wrote, according to eWeek. “I would not be surprised if Microsoft had the third largest app portfolio in the industry by the middle of next year.”
Microsoft is still refusing to confirm exact sales figures for Windows Phone 7. The company now has over 18,000 registered Windows Phone developers and has promised developer payments in January. Early estimates, based on Facebook usage, show that around 120,000+ devices have been sold so far.
Microsoft is planning to release a Windows Phone 7 OS update in early 2011. Microsoft is officially saying that the update is due in early 2011 but WinRumors understands Microsoft officials will detail the upcoming changes at CES. Windows Phone 7 is a key part of Microsoft’s long term mobile strategy and we expect the software giant to detail a second bigger update in February at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain. Microsoft’s second update will introduce enhanced developer controls for applications and updated Silverlight components. Microsoft’s first update recently leaked in a video of the company’s implementation of Windows Phone 7 copy and paste.
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