Windows Phone 7 Adoption

Joe Belfiore and other Microsoft execs have been mum on sales of Windows Phone 7, but our limited and informal poll results show that a majority of respondents (68%) are at the least interested in considering WP7 smartphones—if the right carriers or devices are available. Here's the poll question and results:

"Are you interested in getting a Windows Phone 7 phone?"

The 17% that responded that they're already using WP7 certainly wouldn't break any sales numbers, and you probably have to figure response rates on our site (windowsitpro.com) might be a little higher than the average because the phone platform is a Microsoft product.

I've seen several people on Twitter asking if current discount deals being offered on Windows Phone 7 devices are some sort of signal of poor sales performance. But remember that Android and other devices have been selling from different carriers at buy-one-get-one-free pricing for months. Carriers make their money on the contracts, not the phones.

It's important to remember that Microsoft is fully behind this new mobile platform and in it for the long haul. (Well, for the moment, anyway, and they show no signs that they're likely to change course.) WP7 has been well received on many fronts, albeit with some obvious drawbacks not unexpected in a 1.0 release. As perhaps one sign that Microsoft is "all in" on making it to the next level with this platform, the company is hiring about 40 new positions for the Windows Phone 7 development team, as reported by Forbes.

Clearly, it's too early to say how WP7 will fit in the ultimate mobile OS landscape, but my impression is that end users are less concerned about brand loyalty and much more concerned about their personal experience using the particular, individual device. Leave a comment below or ping me on Twitter (@bkwins) if you have any thoughts on the matter.

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