Windows Phone 7 has been an experiment: the moment of truth arrives with version 8

Today, Nokia presented its third quarter financial results. It is still in losses, although they are improving compared to previous periods. Sales of the Lumia range have dropped by one million units. They are not good data, but they are not as pessimistic as they may seem. Yes, Lumia phone sales are down, but that's not a sign of failure. Why? Easy: Windows Phone 8 is right around the corner, and phones on sale right now won't be upgradable. It is normal for sales to drop, it is something that happens in any situation like this.The iPhone, to give a well-known example, always has fewer sales in the month before a renewal.

But even after trend analysis, Lumia phone sales are still low. For comparison, Verizon (a telecommunications carrier) has sold more iPhones in the United States than Nokia Lumias worldwide. Is Windows Phone crashing?

Windows Phone 7 has been an experiment

From my point of view: no, it's not a failure. It's not something we can decide now, because Windows Phone 7 has been just an experiment .

Microsoft released Windows Phone 7 in 2010. It was a usable, flawless operating system, but incomplete. To give two examples, he could neither copy-paste text nor did he have multitasking. At the time of release, Windows Phone 7 was not up to par with iOS or Android .

However, there was a very powerful reason for releasing Windows Phone 7 in that state: Microsoft was already late to the smartphone world. If they had waited a year and a half to release a complete system, the damage would have been very great and no matter how great the software was, it would be very difficult to gain a foothold in the market.

Until NoDo, you couldn't copy and paste on Windows Phone.

There is another additional reason: Windows Phone 7 has been Microsoft's testing ground, the place to find out what users wanted and learn what was needed to break the monotony of other mobile systems. In this way, those from Redmond also managed to have a prepared base. Windows Phone 7 has created a very complete and, above all, very active ecosystem of users, applications, developers and manufacturers.

For Nokia it has not been so much an experiment as a training ground.For the same reason that I mentioned before, the Finns could not wait any longer to return to the front line of battle. The Lumia with Windows Phone 7 have helped them test the market again and prepare thanks to the feedback from all users.

Windows Phone 8, now things are serious

Windows Phone 8 is where Microsoft and Nokia really play it. It is the definitive OS, the one that will really compete against iOS and Android. And those of Redmond have prepared it for this very purpose thoroughly.

Right now, the main battlefronts in the smartphone market are three: screen, applications and ease of use; and Windows Phone 8 is ready to compete and even win in all of them.

The new version includes support for different screen sizes: 800x480 pixels, the current size; 1280x768 and 1280x720 pixels.These last two sizes, for high-quality screens, are enough to match the Samsung Galaxy S3 and surpass the iPhone 5 with its Retina Display (if they release a phone with the same screen inches, of course).

And in addition, Windows Phone has advantages over its competitors: applications adapt intelligently to different sizes without having to do anything: no black bands or disproportionate interfaces. On the other hand, the simple and flat style of Metro (Modern UI) means that, even at lower resolution, the elements of the interface look better than in other systems.

On the subject of applications, we must admit that right now Windows Phone is not in a good situation. However, it has the ingredients to improve a lot. We have a controlled Store, with quality applications (well, okay, with quality applications and WhatsApp too) and the developers have very high quality tools.

And best of all, the ability to share code with Windows 8 applications. It is a very strong incentive to know that you can migrate your desktop or tablet application to a mobile system with little work (at least much less than it would take to migrate it to another mobile system). And let's remember that there are not exactly few people developing for Windows.

Finally, we have a very easy-to-use system, perfectly integrated with social networks, with a fresh and original interface that works smoothly even on phones with low-medium-range processors, without gigahertz or dual cores (in fact, I don't think dual-core Windows Phones have enough advantages to justify the price increase, but that's another topic).

Nokia is taking full advantage of what Windows Phone 8 brings, and adding its own innovations.With the Lumia 920 we have a camera that surpasses even the great leader in this aspect, the iPhone 5; a high-quality screen, wireless charging, super-sensitive touch technology and an original and resistant design.

And not only the Lumia 920 will live the Finns, who have prepared phones to occupy the entire price range, from low-end to high-end through all intermediate steps. All of them will have exclusive applications and new developments for Windows Phone 8 that are really useful.

Windows Phone 8 is the heavy artillery of Nokia and Microsoft. It is the system, this time, destined to compete face to face with iOS and Android, and they are putting all their efforts to achieve it.

Microsoft and Nokia still have untapped resources

Let's not forget one thing: Microsoft and Nokia are not companies that appeared out of thin air. Both have a lot of experience in the technological world and still have aces up their sleeves and resources to use .

First thing to keep in mind: Nokia still has a lot of money to burn. At this rate of losses, it could last a year and a half without having to go into debt. Nokia's future doesn't depend on launch sales: the Finns can hang on even if Windows Phone has a hard time getting off the ground, especially now that it seems they've finally gotten rid of Symbian.

Let's also remember that Nokia is still a well-known brand. Although it has been overshadowed by the rise of iOS and Android, most people still remember that Nokia exists and that it used to make good phones. It does not start from scratch in this aspect, and therefore does not need as much marketing effort to make itself known.

On the other hand, Microsoft still has an ace up its sleeve called companies. The presence of those from Redmond in the business sphere is overwhelming: Windows, Office, Outlook, Exchange... Windows Phone 8 comes with much better support and integration for companies than Apple and, above all, Android can have.

Just as businesses were BlackBerry's main point of expansion at the time, so can now be for Microsoft and Windows Phone. In addition, this would cover one of the current shortcomings of the mobile system: the lack of visibility .

The battle has only just begun

Windows Phone 8 is the true starting point for Microsoft and Nokia, and both companies are very well prepared. However, this does not mean that they have all the way done. What remains is to give visibility to the system, increase the number of applications available and make the phones reach consumers.

What if Windows Phone 8 crashes? So I don't think either company has more opportunities. If Windows Phone 8 doesn't get off the ground, it will remain a marginal system, which Microsoft will continue to maintain because it has no choice, and which will probably ruin Nokia.Horace Dediu (@asymco) commented today: companies that do not have a profit margin when it comes to selling mobiles end badly.

However, I don't see failure as a likely scenario for Microsoft and Nokia. It will cost them more or less to move Windows Phone 8 forward, but they are very powerful companies and with a really good product, and I am sure that they will manage to carve out an important gap between iOS and Android.

On Xataka Mobile | Nokia does not come out of its poor financial results: 2.9 million Lumias sold