Windows Phone Thoughts: Microsoft Scores Massive Order for Windows Mobile-based Devices

"Microsoft Corp. won its biggest-ever contract for mobile-phone software, an order from the U.S. Census Bureau that covers 500,000 handsets. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, plans to unveil the deal today, general manager Scott Horn said in an interview. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft expects to increase its mobile unit's sales to $1 billion in one to three years, from $337 million last year, and break the dominance of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry... Sales of handsets with Windows will double to 20 million units in 2007 as corporate customers opt for those devices instead of the BlackBerry, Knook said. They still would be just a fraction of Microsoft's almost $40 billion in annual sales. The company declined to disclose the value of the Census Bureau contract for Windows Mobile phones, which can link to the Internet, run Office, read e-mail and play music. Census takers will use them in collecting information door-to-door during the 2010 U.S. census."



This is a huge win for Microsoft. While the company still faces an uphill challenge in capturing an even greater share of the mobile devices market, this contract certainly leaves a positive mark. We've seen some huge milestones over the past couple of years - for example, the Windows Mobile-based Palm Treo 700w, and now this massive order from the US Census Bureau. By the end of this decade, we may well see the average Joe's mobile device being powered by Windows Mobile. Time will tell.