Microsoft Is Advancing Slowly In Smartphone Software Niche
Microsoft Corp. has found no easy success during its nine-month assault on the market for advanced cellphone software, according to research from a consulting firm.
The software company has used Europe as the target of an initial foray in the market for so-called smartphones, which look like conventional cellphones but are able to download and run sophisticated games and other computer-style software. Only 5.9% of the one million smartphones shipped in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the second quarter were controlled by Microsoft software, according to British research firm canalys.com Ltd. About 94% ran software supplied by Symbian Ltd., a London consortium owned by British computer company Psion PLC, Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and several other leading phone makers. The vast majority of the smartphones in the survey were shipped to Europe.
Phones are one of a number of markets that Microsoft has been pursuing to branch out from the maturing market for personal-computer software, with mixed results. It has been discussing software for phones since 1999, but didn't begin shipping products until last year.
Although the smartphone market is little more than a year old, it is growing rapidly and analysts expect smartphones to account for as much as half of the cellphone market by 2007.
Microsoft and Anglo-French cellphone operator Orange SA launched the first smartphone running Microsoft's software in November in a handful of European markets, but sales of the handset have been modest. Other operators have been slow to follow suit, and phones running Microsoft's smartphone software still aren't available in the U.S. Chris Jones, an analyst with canalys, said Microsoft is "behind their schedule and forecasts."
Annemarie Duffy , a marketing manager for Microsoft in Europe, said the company hasn't made public its targets, but Microsoft is "very happy" with its progress and confident in its strategy. When asked about the specific market-share figures, she said, "It's early days."
Revenue in Microsoft's mobile- and embedded-devices division, which supplies software for smartphones and personal organizers, is small but growing steadily. The division generated revenue of $156 million in the year ended June 30, compared with $112 million a year earlier.
Much of the growth is due to market-share gains in the personal-organizer market, where devices from Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Computer Corp. use Microsoft software. Canalys's figures show 53% of the personal organizers shipped in the second quarter to Europe, the Middle East and Africa use Microsoft's software, while 42% use software developed by hand-held computer maker Palm Inc. of Milpitas, Calif. Symbian's software is barely used in this market.
But analysts say it is more important for Microsoft to make headway in the smartphone market, which is expected to become much bigger than the personal-organizer market.
微软智能手机软件业务缓慢增长
某顾问公司的研究表明，九个月来推广高级手机软件的努力让微软(Microsoft Corp., MSFT)尝到成功的艰难。
这家软件巨头将欧洲作为其智能手机(smartphone)软件首个市场攻占目标。智能手机外形酷似传统手机，但能够下载文件，运行复杂的游戏和其他电脑软件。据英国研究公司canalys.com Ltd.的数据，第二季度销往欧洲、中东和非洲的100万部智能手机中，仅有5.9%使用微软的软件，而大约94%都是使用Symbian Ltd.提供的软件。Symbian是一个伦敦财团，由英国电脑公司Psion PLC、诺基亚公司(Nokia Corp)、摩托罗拉公司(Motorola Inc.)和另外几家一流电话生产商共同拥有。canalys.com调查中的智能手机绝大部分是销往欧洲。
微软在电话市场的业绩时好时坏，这是该公司试图从趋于成熟的个人电脑软件市场向外拓展的若干市场中的一个。该公司从1999年就开始研发手机软件，但直到去年才开始发货。
虽然智能手机市场的形成不过一年多的时间，但其发展速度很快，分析师预计，智能手机到2007年将占手机市场的半壁江山。
微软与英法合资手机运营商Orange SA合作，于去年11月在欧洲一些市场推出第一款使用微软软件的智能手机，但该产品销量平平。其他手机运营商也没有急于跟风，采用微软手机软件的智能手机至今仍未在美国市场露面。canalys分析师Chris Jones称，微软的产品发展计划和财务预期都没有实现。
微软驻欧洲营销经理Annemarie Duffy称，公司没有公开业务目标，但公司对智能手机业务的进展非常满意，并对其市场战略充满信心。当被问及智能手机的具体市场占有率数字时，她说该业务现尚处初步阶段。
专门为智能手机及个人信息管理工具提供软件的微软移动及嵌入设备业务，虽然收入不多但却稳定增长。截至6月30日的财政年度，该业务收入为1.56亿美元，高于上财年的1.12亿美元。
该业务收入增长的主要原因是个人信息管理工具软件的市场占有率提高，惠普公司(Hewlett-packard Co.)和戴尔电脑(Dell Computer Corp.)生产的个人信息管理工具都配置了微软的软件。Canalys的数据显示，第二阶段销往欧洲、中东和非洲的个人信息管理工具中53%使用的是微软软件，42%使用的是由掌上电脑生产商Palm Inc.开发的软件。个人信息管理产品很少使用Symbian软件。
但分析师认为，进占智能手机市场对微软更为重要，预计该市场的规模将超过个人信息管理工具市场。
