HTC and Samsung think WP7 and Android to lead

Executives for HTC and Samsung in Thailand today said they expected that Android and Windows Phone 7 would have the greatest influence on the world smartphone market. National manager Nattawat Woranopakul thought that the Google and Microsoft platforms had the "biggest potential" and saw them having large market share worldwide by 2012. Apps and other software would make the difference, he told AsiaOne, referring to custom interfaces like Sense UI or the Sense Hub.

Samsung's mobile marketing lead for the country, Sitthichoke Nopchinabutr, also provided a surprised and hinted that the company might turn on Google and focus primarily on Windows Phone. About 15 to 20 phones based on Android, Bada and Windows Phone would ship in 2011, but the majority of them would use the Microsoft OS. For every 50 Windows devices, 24 would be Android models and just five would use the in-house Bada OS.

The approach if borne out could help WP7 gain substantial share after rapid declines for Windows Mobile in the past few years. It could likewise be a setback for Google as it has counted on both HTC and Samsung for a significant amount of its share gains in the past year. Android has largely benefited from its device-independent design where challengers like the iPhone and BlackBerry have been limited to a similar manufacturer.

Whether or not Microsoft can achieve a similar level isn't certain. It has faced modest lineups at best worldwide and has been docked for missing features present elsewhere, like copy-and-paste text and multitasking.

By Electronista Staff

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