Windows Phone Thoughts: Microsoft Crosses Fingers: Hopes for 50% Smartphone Growth by 2009

"TAIPEI, May 27 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp expects global unit sales of its Windows Mobile software for cellphones to grow at least 50 percent per year in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 as demand for smartphones rises rapidly. 'Fifty percent growth is the minimum,' Eddie Wu, the software company's managing director of OEM embedded devices Asia, told Reuters on the sidelines of a news conference on Tuesday. He said Microsoft expects to sell 20 million units in its 2007/2008 fiscal year ending in June, and expects to grow at least 50 percent annually over the next two years. It sold over 11 million units of its Windows Mobile software in its 2006/2007 fiscal year ended June. 'We're actually still seeing very good growth (for our mobile software) in markets like Europe and the United States,' said Wu. Wu added that growth of Windows Mobile is seen fastest in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Brazil, Russia and India."

11 million units worldwide is an incredible feat and with all the fancy new handsets popping up like the new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 and the HTC Touch Diamond, it is pretty much a no brainer that Microsoft will hit their now hopeful 50% increase and then some. Now if one the manufactures out there would stop ignoring us poor Windows Mobile Standard users and release something nice and customized for us, I would be a happy man! It is not fair that our Windows Mobile Professional brothers get all the fun while we're stuck with the same ol' non-jaw dropping interface. It might be time for me to get over my unnatural hatred for smudges and pick up a HTC Touch Diamond.