Why IDC Predicts Windows Phone Will Surpass iOS by 2016

In four years, Windows Phones will be more popular than iPhones, according to IDC. 

Not only will Windows Phone outshine BlackBerry in the worldwide smartphone market, it will surpass Apple’s iOS and become the second-most popular smartphone platform by 2016, states a forecasting report released by IDC on Wednesday.

It’s a lofty prediction considering that Windows Phone had a mere 2.2 percent market share in Q1 2012 smartphone shipments. That’s significantly behind BlackBerry’s 9.7 percent share, let alone the 23 percent owned by iPhones. But despite a slow start, IDC analysts maintain that Windows Phone will see huge growth in the coming four years. And it has a lot to do with pricing and emerging markets.

IDC’s report forecasts that Windows Phone market share will grow from its current total market share of 5.2 percent to a whopping 19.2 percent in 2016. iOS, however, will maintain relatively unchanged, with its total 20.5 percent market share dropping to 19 percent. As for other platforms, Android will remain the leader, though it will see a drop from its current 61 percent lead to a more modest 52.9 percent market share.

What factors will make Windows Phone a breakout success? IDC analysts peg a lot of Windows Phone success to Nokia’s strength in emerging markets. Because Nokia is championing Windows Phone devices, emerging markets like Asia, Latin America, and Africa will more likely gravitate to Windows Phones.

“It really comes down to this: We can easily point to Nokia being one of the biggest leaders over there [in emerging markets],” Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team, told Wired. “Apple is making hay in China and Europe, but there are still other markets out there. I look at it and see that Apple is not shipping as much volume there.”

Llamas pointed out that in price-conscious markets like Africa, the iPhone has limited appeal. Only the “urban elite” can afford Apple’s smartphone. Windows Phone devices, however, come at various price points and will gain traction with cost-conscious consumers.

“What I see from Windows Phone so far is that they’re starting to roll out entry-level mass market smartphones,” Llamas said. “What’s iOS doing? They’re going to bring you an older iPhone for less expensive. Which one would you rather have: This year’s model or last year’s model?”

On the stateside, Windows Phone will get most of its boost from carriers and the release of Windows 8. Since Microsoft has such a vast lead in the PC market, with more than 84 percent of PCs running some form of Windows, Windows 8 could have a huge impact on Windows Phone adoption. (That is, if people actually like the Metro UI in Windows 8.)

And the fact that major carriers like AT&T and Verizon are standing behind Windows Phone is a good sign, too.

“The name of the game is going to be distribution,” Llamas said. “Windows Phone is still a couple paces behind, but it’s getting some rather critical winds to ensure its growth. AT&T and Verizon are very publicly saying that Windows Phone is for us.”

But even with all of these factors, can Windows Phone really surpass the iPhone? Aren’t these numbers a bit too optimistic?

IDC thinks not. Well i agree, The smartphone market is one where anything can happen, even Windows Phone going from a little-used platform to second in line.

“We’re still in the embryonic stages of the smartphone market,” Llamas said. “We’re seeing some players coming in and out. This market is very fluid. Anything could just about happen, that could put a dent in any player.”

WP7 - How to speed up application certification

WP7 How to speed up Application Certification process

Accelerate Application Certification

Want to know where to focus your attention before submitting an application for Windows Phone 7 certification testing? Following are the top seven areas to pay close attention, which will help shorten the time for your application to pass certification and be published in the Marketplace:

1. Technical Support Information. Include technical support contact information, such as an email address or URL, within the application along with the application version number.

2. Content Validation. Be sure that application visual elements are visible and legible in both Windows Phone 7 light and dark themes. The application description, the UI text, and media within the application must be in the corresponding target language the XAP supports.

3. Application Termination. Applications must provide a user-friendly error message when an application terminates unexpectedly.

4. Application Screenshot. Screenshots must not include any emulator chrome, be graphically enhanced, or use transparent PNG image files.

5. Windows Phone Marketplace Iconography. Icons must closely match the icon provided in the XAP package.

6. Declaring Application Capabilities. Use the method documented on MSDN regarding How to: Use the Windows Phone Capability Detection Tool. Pay close attention when referencing the WebBrowser control and be sure to access it from code-behind.

7. Application Localization. Follow globalization and localization best practices on MSDN and test applications using multiple regional and language settings

Windows Metro

Windows Metro Design 
            
      Metro is an internal code name for a typography-based design language created by Microsoft, originally for use in Windows Phone 7. Early uses of the Metro principles, such as the typography, began as early as Microsoft Encarta 95 and MSN 2.0, and later evolved into products such as Windows Media Center and Zune. Later the principles of Metro were included in Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows Phone, the Xbox 360 dashboard update, and Windows 8. A specially-made version of Microsoft's Segoe font family, Segoe WP, is used as the main font family for all typographical elements.It was confirmed by Microsoft at Computex that Windows 8, the successor to Windows 7, takes inspiration from Metro. Microsoft also added the Metro design principles to other products and services, like the Xbox 360 and Windows Live, in order to create a unified and distinctive look across its consumer products and services.


       "Metro" is based on the design principles of classic Swiss graphic design. Early glimpses of this style could be seen in Windows Media Center for Windows XP Media Center Edition, which favored text as the primary form of navigation. This interface carried over into later iterations of Media Center. In 2006, Zune refreshed its interface using these Metro principles. Microsoft designers decided to redesign the interface and with more focus on clean typography and less on UI chrome.The Zune Desktop Client was also redesigned with an emphasis on typography and clean design that was different from the Zune's previous Portable Media Center based UI. Flat colored "live tiles" were introduced into the Metro design language during the early Windows Phone's studies.Microsoft has begun integrating these elements of the Metro design language into its other products, with direct influence being seen in newer versions of Windows Live Messenger and Live Mesh.

        The Metro design language was designed specifically to consolidate groups of common tasks to speed up usage. This is accomplished by excluding superfluous graphics and instead relying on the actual content to also function as the main UI. The resulting interfaces favour larger hubs over smaller buttons and often feature laterally scrolling canvases. Page titles are usually large and consequently also take advantage of lateral scrolling.

Animation plays a large part, with transitions, and user interactions such as presses or swipes recommended to always be acknowledged by some form of natural animation or motion. This is intended to give the user the impression that the UI is "alive" and responsive, with "an added sense of depth."Internally, Microsoft has compiled a list of principles as core to the Metro design language