An unofficial benchmarking video shows Microsoft's native Windows Phone 7.5 Mango browser lags behind Apple's Safari for iOS in various speed tests, with the Nokia Lumia 800 testbed even being outperformed by an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3.
Apple's iPhone grew 1.4% in the U.S. mobile OEM and smartphone OS markets during the three months ending in November, but Google's Android platform continued to dominate and gained 3.1% in its march to acquire half of America's subscribership.
Nokia has sent out invitations to members of the press for a Windows Phone-related event on January 9 at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev., as it gears up for the launch of its new Lumia phones in the U.S.
Sales of Android and iOS handsets in the U.S. eclipsed other smartphone platforms in the first three quarters of 2011, holding a combined 82% of the market, while rival Research In Motion suffered a continued decline during the same period.
Microsoft has rearranged its management team for Windows Phone, shifting division head Andy Lees to a "time-critical opportunity" to build momentum for its Windows Phone and Windows 8 operating systems, a move that some have viewed as a sign of failure.
Microsoft's Craig Mundie said that the iPhone's Siri voice recognition software is not new technology as a similar system has been available on the Windows Phone for over a year, and claims Apple marketed the capability to shift focus away from the iPhone 4S's lack of new features.
One analyst has drastically reduced shipment projections for Nokia's Windows Phone devices on the belief that the handset maker is unlikely to gain traction with its new lineup.
An AT&T executive said Wednesday that his company is finalizing discussions with Nokia to begin carrying its Windows Phone smartphones next year, while also noting that he believes Microsoft will face "challenges" in attracting customers away from entrenched rivals Apple and Google.
With a limited number of iPhone models taking on a plethora of Android-powered handsets from multiple manufacturers, Apple's iOS actually lost market share in the worldwide smartphone market last quarter despite growing sales, according to the latest sales data from Gartner.
With the iPhone representing 28 percent of smartphones in the U.S., Apple is still the No. 1 domestic smartphone manufacturer, according to the latest data from Nielsen.
Nokia on Wednesday introduced its first smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, two devices branded "Lumia" that the company hopes will compete with Apple's iPhone lineup.
Microsoft announced on Sunday that a new patent license agreement with original design manufacturer Compal means that companies accounting for more than half of all Google Android-based devices now have agreements with the software giant.
Google Android boss Andy Rubin and Microsoft's Windows Phone head Andy Lees have both publicly criticized Apple's new Siri voice assistant and questioned its usefulness.
Apple's iPhone continues to gain market share in the U.S., now representing 27.3 percent of handsets, while competitors RIM, Microsoft and Nokia continue to slip.
Apple's stateside share of the smartphone market continued to grow last quarter, with the iPhone representing 27 percent of the domestic mobile operating system market.
The U.S. International Trade Commission's preliminary ruling in favor of Apple over rival HTC has caused concern for some Chinese handset makers who build Android-powered devices, prompting them to consider embracing Microsoft's next version of Windows Phone 7, dubbed "Mango."
Among consumers who plan to buy a smartphone in the next three months, the iPhone is the top choice, with nearly half of all prospective buyers choosing Apple.
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer this week boasted that sales of Windows PCs continue to vastly outperform the Mac, but also conceded that his company's mobile phone business has not done much to improve its market share.
Smartphone sales in the U.S. have become a majority of new mobile phone sales, and Apple's iPhone is leading that growth while Android has plateaued, according to the latest data from Nielsen.
Software sales from Apple's mobile App Store as well as competing options like the Android Market are expected to continue their huge growth in the coming years, reaching $14.1 billion in direct revenue in 2012 and nearly $40 billion by 2015.
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AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Josh Ong
Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
Slash Lane
