Insights | Mobile

The launch of Windows Phone 7 has been underwhelming to say the least, but the device family is gaining traction, little by little.  As of this month, it’s on par with the established (but slowly dying) webOS, formerly of Palm, now HP’s toy.  Since February, Windows Phone 7′s share of mobile web browsing has gone from 0.44% to 0.5% – still small, but evidence of growth that should make Microsoft a bit happier.

During the same period, webOS devices have declined from 0.84% to 0.53%.  Not surprising – the last webOS device to be launched was quite a while ago, and HP’s lineup of 2011 products hasn’t hit stores yet.

The good news for Microsoft is that, while their share of traffic is small, they’re geared up to expand the Windows Phone 7 family to include Verizon devices.  The relatively low initial adoption rate of WP7 may be attributed in part to its not being available on Verizon.  Looking at Android’s carrier breakdown, while choice of carrier is obviously valuable, Verizon makes up over half of all Android usage.

Perhaps Microsoft will see a spike in usage as Windows Phone 7 becomes available on Verizon (whenever that happens).  The devices and operating system are generally well-reviewed (we have one in the office for testing, and it’s really quite nice), and if enough options are there, people may start choosing Microsoft in greater numbers.