That didn't take long.
PalmAddicts and jkOnTheRun post a link to a story from RoughlyDrafted Magazine citing iPhone sales beating all Windows Mobile sales combined in the third quarter of this year in North America. iPhone users are obviously rejoicing and doing the obligatory "I told you so" dance.
So what's a Windows Mobile lover to do?
I've already read the article in its entirety and there were a couple things that jumped out at me right away but those are best left for another time.
I am not going to take anything away from the figures the author presents. They seem, at least as far as I can tell, to be solid.
In its first full quarter of sales, the iPhone has already climbed past Microsoft’s entire lineup of Windows Mobile smartphones in North America, according to figures compiled by Canalys and published by Symbian.
The figures mesh with retail sales data already reported by NPD, which similarly described the size of the US market with a 27% chunk bit out by Apple’s iPhone.
Steve (who the hell left this man in charge?) Ballmer put Windows Mobile sales at 70 million licenses to handset manufacturers back in early November after the Google Android announcement.
James Kendrick from jkOnTheRun reported on the news as well:
The significant thing about the numbers revealed is how iPhone sales grabbed 27% of all smartphones sold in the US for Q3 of this year, even though iPhones are tied to AT&T while other makers are not. These numbers indicate that Apple outsold all Windows Mobile smartphones in the US for the quarter, along with all Symbian phones.
Gizmodo throws in their take as well to the developing fanboy debate:
All in all, things aren't looking too perky for Apple's competitors. Sure, RIM may be flying high at the moment, but if this growth continues even at a fraction of the rate it is currently, RIM won't be high and dry for long. Android, in you we trust. For a fantastic run through the figures, and a more detailed look at the likely ramifications of Apple's impending dominance, checkout the full report by hitting the link.
Nokia, usually claims worldwide bragging rights for the number of phones sold since they make phone with all three of the Linux flavored OS's available.
This is probably going to continue to develop when Microsoft, or at the very least some of the other people who are paid to make these kinds of studies and predictions, come in to work in the morning. Mostly I think it will flame the fanboyism higher to give us all some laughs going into Christmas.
Me? You friendly neighborhood Windows Mobile user is far from worried.
We all pick our devices for a variety of reasons. Mostly: do they do what we need/want them to do and in a way we are comfortable doing them? For me, that is satisfied using a Windows Mobile based device.
For you, it may be satisfied using a Palm based device, a RIM based device, an Apple based device or some other system all together.
It doesn't (or shouldn't) matter if your current device is "hot" or "cool" or the "fastest selling." What should matter is if your device does what YOU need it to do in a way that YOU are comfortable doing it.
I remain on record as stating Windows Mobile does "it" for me.
Is Windows Mobile perfect? No, I could never argue that it is.
The things the guys at Gizmodo talked about on Friday sound like Microsoft will be getting things closer to perfection for me (and others) with Windows Mobile 7 and 8.
And the leaked video walk through from The Boy Genius Reports have me looking forward to 6.1.
I think Dieter said it best on WMExperts in what I am calling his "Ode to Windows Mobile":
Obviously I don't think Windows Mobile is perfect and I'm honest about that where it falls short. There is work to be done and I hope that Microsoft is doing it.
Still, don't take the above gripes as a sign that I believe that Windows Mobile fails overall. Windows Mobile is far and away the best Smartphone OS for me. I love the choice of different devices. I love the power. I love the 3rd party app options. Windows Mobile: sniffle ...I love you, man!
Everything else is just window dressing and marketing speak.
(Still, if the Windows Mobile "hateration" gets too strong ... well, a self-professed Windows Mobile fanboy's gotta do what he's gotta do.)
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