Windows Phone的4条制胜之道

    上个月，Windows Phone 8与诺基亚（Nokia）Lumia 920 设备一道推出。最近，宏达电（HTC）推出了自己的Windows 8手机，该系列将在10月下旬Windows 8官方产品推出前后面市。这些颜色鲜艳的设备是标准的智能手机形象：轻薄、Gorilla玻璃、800万像素摄像头、4G LTE以及双高通（Qualcomm）Snapdragon芯片等。

    但说实话，微软（Microsoft）成为头号移动操作系统的可能性微乎其微。因为要做到这一点，它必须要取代苹果（Apple）和谷歌（Google），这简直是不可能完成的任务。微软仅拥有近4％的市场份额，而谷歌的市场份额超过50％，苹果的市场份额在30％以上，[要想赶超]，微软将需要使其市场份额直线攀升。

    但这不会阻止微软发挥自身在软件和B2B市场方面的优势。据ComScore和IDC称，微软在移动操作系统领域位居第四，落后于陷入困境的黑莓（Blackberry）手机制造商RIM，但其数量在上年出现了增长——主要是在美国以外的地区。总之，微软处于争夺季军的有利地位，应该足够确保该公司操作系统在商务市场的统治地位，假以时日，Windows 8作为移动操作系统，将更多的被普通消费者接受。

    那么，微软在此期间能做些什么？该公司可以借助以下四大途径提升自己的地位：

与《财富》美国1000强公司签大单

    这一方法也可以归结为“继续做你所擅长的”。或者说向企业级市场推销Windows。对谷歌和苹果而言，打破消费者的使用习惯相对简单，但要颠覆Windows服务器、台式机和管理软件，以及那些受训使用这些系统谋生的人则没那么容易。分析师们大谈BYOD（带上自己的设备）去上班这一理念，但现实情况是，对于那些全球性的大公司而言，管理风靡一时的智能手机仍极具挑战性。大多数首席信息官和首席技术官不大在乎你想用什么[设备]，他们更关心的是自己必须保护公司数据和自身预算。台式机搭载Windows 8，加之Surface平板混合型设备即将推出，首席信息官们可能更容易看到Windows在各类别设备上运行的成本效益。

培育企业应用市场

    销售微软软件是头等要务，但允许关键移动应用在整个Windows操作系统环境中运行可能会提高采用Windows的赌注。有些软件要压缩成应用程序，挑战性极大，但将复杂软件的功能扩展做成应用合情合理，特别是当其更好的与电子邮件和其他内部系统集成。各设备间更加无缝的体验会受到欢迎，同样，更明确针对企业用户设计的设备受到欢迎。微软即将推出的Surface平板电脑-笔记本混合设备就可能是这样的设备。

成为零售高手

    你可能没有注意到，微软目前在美国和加拿大开设有20个零售点。今年该公司将开设更多，其中包括节假日期间的32个弹出式零售点。鉴于其Xbox游戏机大获成功，而新款Surface平板电脑即将发布，令消费者购买设备对微软来说比以往任何时候都更重要。

    Last month, Windows Phone 8 launched with Nokia Lumia 920 devices. More recently, HTC launched its own Windows 8 Phone line to be available around the official Windows 8 product launch in late October. These brightly colored devices are standard smartphone fare: slim, lightweight, Gorilla glass, 8 MP cameras, 4G LTE, dual Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, etc.

    But let's be frank, Microsoft (MSFT) has little chance of becoming the number one mobile operating system. To do that, it would have to displace Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG), a task far beyond Hercules. At nearly 4% market share, Microsoft is facing the steepest vertical climb of its life. Google has over 50% and Apple over 30%.

    But that won't stop Microsoft from playing to its software and business-to-business strengths. According to ComScore and IDC, Microsoft is squarely in fourth place behind troubled Blackberry-maker RIM (RIMM) but has seen its numbers grow in the last year -- mostly outside the U.S. Still, Microsoft is a unique position to play for third place -- a position that should be enough to keep its operating system dominance in the workplace, and with time, give more acceptance to Windows 8 as a mobile OS for average consumers.

    So what can Microsoft do in the meantime? Here are four key ways Microsoft could play its position:

Large contracts with Fortune 1000 companies

    Also know as "keep doing what you are good at." Also also known as, Windows in the workplace. Disrupting consumer habits is easier for Google and Apple than disrupting Windows servers, desktops and management software and people trained to use those systems for their livelihood. Analysts talk up this idea of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to work, but the reality is that for major corporations with global reach, managing the smartphone flavor of the month is still incredibly challenging. Most CIOs and CTOs care little what you want to use and more about what they have to protect: company data and their budgets.nWith Windows 8 on the desktop, and upcoming the Surface tablet hybrid, it could be easier for CIOs to see the cost benefit of Windows across devices. .

Foster an enterprise apps economy

    Selling Microsoft software is the priority, but allowing key mobile apps that work across a Windows OS environment could up the ante for Windows adoption. Some software will simply be too challenging to condense in to an app, but functional extensions of complex software as apps make sense, especially when better integrated with email and other internal systems. A more seamless experience across devices would be welcome, as are devices designed more specifically for business users. Microsoft's forthcoming Surface tablet-laptop hybrid could be that device.

Become master retailers

    You may not have noticed, but Microsoft does have over 20 retail locations in the U.S. and Canada right now. It is opening more this year, including 32 pop-up locations for the holiday season. With its hugely successful Xbox gaming console and the new Surface tablet coming out, getting consumers to buy its gear has never been more important.