Verizon is fully in support of Microsoft’s new mobile operating system.
There will be a joint Microsoft-Nokia press event in New York on September 5, and although Verizon is not specifically named in the media invites, it is being reported that the carrier will be at least one of the companies sporting a new addition of the Lumia product line, expected to be the flagship Windows Phone 8 device.
Verizon hasn’t been a huge fan of the Windows Phone platform – its biggest supporter has been AT&T – but as the iPhone loses its carrier exclusivity, everyone is looking for new competitive advantages.
Nokia was eager to boast about sales of its first Windows Phone device, the Lumia 710, which marked the company’s return to the US market.
Nokia quickly vaulted to the status of being the top Windows Phone manufacturer, although that’s kind of like being the best player in Little League – you’ll still have a tough time competing in the MLB.
In other words, Android and iOS are still dominating the market, and Nokia has a long way to go if it wants to legitimately compete in that field.
In the beginning, Nokia has made quite an impression, and there was the possibility that it could almost single-handedly help bring Windows Phone within striking distance of the two larger smartphone OS players. But over the last several months, it has failed to capture the same momentum that it did out of the gate.
We’ll see if it can strike that fire again with Windows Phone 8.
