Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Microsoft is how to get app developers to believe in the new Windows Phone 7 experience. We already know that the new Windows Mobile OS will come with Zune and Xbox Live integration but the key to its success will be third party applications. It’s no secret that the previous Windows Mobile OS had little to no app community. This was due in large part to a hard to use platform that made it a challenge for developers to build and sell applications. If Microsoft wants to be a player again they are going to need to convince developers that things have changed.
This won’t be easy but the new Windows phone 7 OS does look appealing. Still app developers will want to see significant advancements to their platform. It appears they are headed in the right direction as recent leaked documents suggest Silverlight and XNA integration. Although this does sound promising Microsoft has a lot of work to do if they want to play with the big boys.
