CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J.-Although Microsoft Corp. wields tremendous power and has made several major recent forays into the market for mobile-phone software, the wireless industry’s traditional handset manufacturers can hold on to their dominant position, according to a new report from Probe Research.
Many of the industry’s leading mobile-phone makers-including Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and others-have rallied around the Symbian operating system, a direct competitor to Microsoft’s software platforms. Symbian’s momentum could block Microsoft’s wireless plays, said Dave Chamberlain, Probe’s wireless market research director.
“At this time-early in the fourth quarter of 2002-only high-end PDA-style handsets have been announced,” Chamberlain said. “However, the five largest companies that have announced their intentions to work with Symbian (Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, Sony Ericsson) control the largest part-75 percent-of the global handset market right now. If these companies were to use Symbian throughout their product range there would be little room left for Microsoft’s smart phone devices.”
