By: Steph Dlugon
The iPhone started it. It created a new paradigm that was built on the notion that apps could help users do more stuff in a more native context. But according to Gartner’s David Smith, “Five years from now, I expect to see the majority of mobile ‘apps’ be Web apps, not native,” wrote the analyst. “Not that native won’t matter, but it won’t be the obsession that it is today.”
This could be one of the things Microsoft was banking on when CEO Steve Ballmer recently announced Windows Phone 7 at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. Windows Phone 7 is slated for release for the 2010 holiday season, and features a new operating system and integration with Xbox Live and Zune services for starters.
Though several months away from release, Baller and Microsoft are expected sprinkle the mobile conference path with little hints to the inner workings. This style of dragging out the release of product information has certainly worked for Apple. More news is expected next month at Microsoft’s MIX conference for designers and developers, in Las Vegas. For now, here’s a video that highlights some of the features we’re likely to see.
