Windows Phone 7: What’s the Target Market?

Windows Phone 7 is an enterprise player, yet the handsets also support consumer features like Xbox Live, the Zune music player and service as well as part of the Zune UI, games, social networks, and Bing.

At an understated rollout in New York, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Ballmer and AT&T (NYSE: T) Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, showed nine Windows Phone 7 handsets from four manufacturers — LG, HTC, Samsung, and Dell. All of the new phones use Qualcomm’s (NASDAQ: QCOM) Snapdragon processor.

“After today, we think you’ll agree with us that we have built a different kind of phone,” Ballmer told the audience.

A long-smoldering question, though, is what market is Microsoft’s make-or-break bet on smartphones really targeting?

Eventually, phones will be available from more than 60 operators worldwide in more than 30 countries. Initial phones will be available in the U.S. on Nov. 8, Ballmer told a gathering of press and media in attendance for the launch. Phones will become available in Europe on Nov. 21.

The list of mobile operators that will be carrying Windows Phone 7 include América Móvil, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, Telstra, TELUS, T-Mobile USA and Vodafone, Microsoft officials said.

Read the rest at Enterprise Mobile Today.

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