As many in the industry knows—even before Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer publicly admitted it last September, in fact—Microsoft has failed miserably in developing Windows Mobile as a viable competitor in the mobile OS front. A lot of industry experts are currently questioning how the software giant can go about fixing their mediocre offering by the time Windows Mobile 7 arrives in 2010 and beyond. More to the point, what exactly will be left for Windows Mobile to use as a foothold once its numerous smartphone rivals emerge? What will the company do to combat the eventual rise of Motorola's Droid (carried by Verizon) and Cliq (carried by T-Mobile)—Android smartphones from wireless carriers and assorted makers?

According to Kevin Burden, an ABI Research analyst, the Windows Mobile OS previously set the standard for many other device makers, which includes Nokia and Palm Inc. It saw its gradual market decline care of a number of competitors, namely 2007's Apple iPhone and 2008's BlackBerry and Android devices. Admittedly, the market momentum for Windows Mobile has stalled quite a bit as it heads on to 2010, so the widespread speculation that Microsoft is all but ready to bail out of this particular market altogether isn't really groundless.

Just last summer, a couple of analysts from Gartner Inc. have also expressed doubts in regards to Windows Mobile's bleak and dreary future, particularly in the domain of consumer-dedicated gadgets beyond Windows Mobile 7. Its gradually declining market share certainly doesn't bode well for its continued existence. However, Burden and Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney does agree with customers such as FedEx that Windows Mobile could still have a bright and long future ahead of it in terms of catering to the needs of a niche market composed of users who setup the ruggedized appliances created by companies like Pison Teklogix, Intermec, and Motorola.

Indeed, this is not the first time that overeager detractors have declared the demise of a Microsoft-brand product. Anybody who has followed the business for the past ten years or so understands the competitive spirit of the software giant. Whether it's Windows XP, Windows Vista, Microsoft X-Box, Microsoft X-Box 360, and so on, nobody dares underestimate the multinational corporation's determination in becoming the head of the pack regardless of the battlefield or industry.