Microsoft CEO: Windows Phone 8 Sales to 'Ramp Quickly'
Ballmer points to strong launch for Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 8.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has acknowledged that Windows Phone remains "relatively small" in the smartphone market, but believes Windows 8 will boost sales imminently.
While Google's Android mobile platform and Apple's iPhone has dominated the smartphone market for years, Ballmer believes Microsoft's relationship with Nokia, Samsung and HTC will finally push sales for incoming Windows Phone 8 handsets.
"With the work we have done with Nokia, HTC, Samsung and others ... there is now an opportunity to create really a strong third participant in the smartphone market," he said in Tel Aviv at Microsoft's first Windows 8 launch outside the U.S. "We are still relatively small ... I expect the volumes on Windows Phone to really ramp quickly."
He stressed that Microsoft will continue to market and advertise (in the region of $1.5 billion) Windows 8, its Surface tablet and Windows Phone more than for it's done with previous products. Ballmer reiterated that Microsoft sold more than four million copies of Windows 8 during its launch weekend last week.
"The initial reaction to these products has been really really phenomenal ... And if you look at how people will get Windows 8, the truth of the matter is more people over time will get Windows 8 by buying a new computer than by upgrading old computers," Ballmer said, noting that a total of 400 million personal computers are sold each year.

And that is really no different than Android phones. How many people bought phones promising that they would get ICS and it never materialized, or any other version for that matter? Lots. Fact is, like it or not, only Apple pushes out a new version of their OS to every model. I think part of it is how Apple stands up to the carriers, which both Microsoft and Google should learn from, and the fact that Apple controls the hardware. There is no Samsung iPhone or HTC iPhone or Motorola iPhone.
Anywho, I am sold on wp8. Just waiting a few more weeks for reviewers and early adopters to find any fatal flaws in any of them before I make a decision.
Wife will probably get the HTC8s
I would like to have the Lumia 920... but as I will be on TMobile, it sounds like this is not an option, so my fallback is on the Sammy Ativ S, but if the camera is as weak as the SGS3 then I will probably go with the HTC 8X. I would go with the 8X by default except for that damn SD card support!
For those who talk of WP7 users getting screwed I really don't know what you are talking about. When 7.5 was released we all knew that wp8 was going to come out in the same calander year, and anyone who spend more than 30min to research their purchase would have known that. Also, in spite of running an entirely different OS core than wp8, wp7 users will still get all of the new features that apply to the hardware available on a wp7 phone, and they will still get most of the apps available to wp8 users. They are still getting updates (in a much more timely fassion than some other phone OS companies provide...) and support, it is not like MS was playing dirty, or hiding the new release of wp8. In fact, the #1 reason people did not get one of the wp7.5 phones was simply because they knew wp8 was coming. If nothing else, wp8 sales should be good because poeple (like myself) are simply not having to wait, or hold our breath, on our purchase. I know some higher end phones will be coming out next year (quad core, 2GB of ram, SD card support on a high end phone, tmobile version of the lumia 920, etc.), but the ones released out the gate are good enough, and there will be no other major changes to the game for a good long while yet. The time is right as a customer to jump in.
On the sales side I think we will see more push from retailers to sell wp8 devices over Android. The kickbacks are better than they were on wp7, the sales people know the customers are not going to get jilted by a new release, and MS cannot come under a lawsuit attack from Apple which makes wp8 a safer sale.
In short, if MS screws this up, they only have themselves to blame! They literally have everything in their favor right now.
All of them were either retail copies or internet upgrades. OEMs have already ordered tens of millions of copies.
Umm.. and on what "other"-camps would you have had better support? I have been really happy with my nokia 800-updates, last summer superbly better camera update, and still imminent 7.8update to come..
Nokia 820 is the phone your looking for
Ah but, Apple do not give updates to every device, the iPad 1 did not get iOS 6 and neither did the iPhone 3GS, and the simple reason is, the hardware is not powerful enough to run the new operating system, and the same goes for windows phone 7 and 8, and its even worse for windows as it was limited to 512mb RAM (1GB is standard now on phones) and also a single core (dual core is also standard)
Ok, sure, older ppl have more expirience, but there comes a point when you get too expirienced, and dont have a chance to learn new things.
1) money can buy you everything...
2) may be M$ should give away $1.5 billion worth of windows 8 licenses... it could bring better adoption rates... i stick to 7...
No, if you bought a WP7 phone (which were there since 2010) and thought youd magically get WP8, your just kidding yourself and are really naive, be realistic.. also my Omnia 7 still beats the S***T out of my ICS HTC and am planning to get rid of it
Notice how most tech sites have NO actual reviews of Windows 8? So their success story is like BORG... we're going to get you sooner or later with numbers.
- Spending $1.5b?! Wow, a great product can usually sell itself.
- Windows 8 Head, Steve Sinofsky Departs Microsoft - after 23 years with the company?!
- crappy ugly conflicting UI?
Its so bad, drunk people can't use it: (you tube) Windows 8: Operating Under the Influence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cMVKW-fR1M
I'm not seeing the rave reviews for Win8 that were there for Win7.