Microsoft News Tracker

It’s a bit anticlimactic since Microsoft had to unveil Windows Mobile 6 (codenamed Crossbow) last week due to a French press leak, but now as originally planned, Microsoft Reveals New Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone Software:

BARCELONA, Spain — Feb. 12, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Windows Mobile® 6, the newest version of its mobile software platform. By improving usability and adding support for Microsoft® Office features previously available only on PCs, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 delivers to the small screen a familiar and rich experience that meets the needs of work and life while on the go, all with a single device.

More details by following the link including

Windows Mobile 6 comes fresh on the heels of a successful year that saw Microsoft’s worldwide converged mobile device shipments grow 135.3 percent (year over year) in 2006, according to leading IT market research and advisory firm IDC. The industry is fast taking notice of Microsoft in the wireless arena and realizing the business benefits of Windows Mobile devices, resulting in IDC’s expectation that Windows Mobile will experience the largest growth of any mobile operating system worldwide, at 75.6 percent, through the year 2010.

Some perspective from Dan Frommer at Forbes:

Unlike Windows’ dominance in personal computing, Microsoft’s U.S. cellphone market share isn’t much–about 1% in November 2006, according to research firm M:Metrics. But that represents 2 million people, and it’s more than double its share two years ago. Last fall, it passed rival Palm OS in the U.S.

Worldwide, Microsoft sold 9 million Windows Mobile licenses last year, on devices from 47 different manufacturers and 115 mobile operators in 55 countries. Last quarter, the company sold 3 million licenses, up more than 90% from a year ago.

And the market is growing: In 2007, people will buy more than a billion cellphones worldwide, according to Yankee Group, with smartphones accounting for more than 113 million, or 11% of all phones sold. In 2010, Yankee Group projects smartphone sales to top 243 million, or 20% of all phone sales.

Microsoft doesn’t sell its own phones–yet–but handset companies like Motorola and HTC pay the company a license fee for each Windows Mobile phone they make.

Well they do now, but the rumored Zune Phone changes all the bets.