With Microsoft declining to reveal the exact sales figures for its Windows Phone 7 range, speculation gathers regarding the underwhelming take-up of devices and the subdued interest in the nascent mobile platform.

To lend credence to that conjecture, one of the handset OEMs has expressed concerns about the post-launch period on record to Pocket-lint.

Two months after debuting the mobile OS, Microsoft had shipped 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 units to retail, a tally LG’s James Choi appears somewhat disappointed by:

“From an industry perspective we had a high expectation, but from a consumer point of view the visibility is less than we expected.”

Too simple by half

The marketing strategy and planning team director for LG pinpoints two areas of weakness in Microsoft’s newest mobile operating system to explain away the teething troubles.

According to Choi, Windows Phone 7 “is very intuitive and easy to use” – in comparison to Google’s “extremely complicated” Android OS – though that very simplicity could count against it among certain key demographics who label it “boring”.

Microsoft’s insistence on strict minimum hardware criteria, such as the 1GHz microprocessor and a WVGA resolution screen, is cited as the second major factor for the low market penetration:

“There is a lot of scepticism at the moment, but once Windows Phone 7 handsets that are mid-tier to low tier start appearing the market share will grow,” Choi said. “Right now it’s only exclusively present in a high tier, because of its hardware requirements, and that’s limiting growth.”

Not pulling out

Not that any of this concern or apprehension will affect LG’s approach to supporting Windows Phone 7 in 2011, with the electronics giant committed to “balancing our portfolio” by backing Microsoft’s mobile OS alongside Android.

And speaking of the future, Choi wouldn’t be drawn on the next wave of LG Windows Phone devices, though the suspicion remains that the successors to the Optimus 7 and Quantum may be unveiled at February’s Mobile World Congress.

[source: Pocket-lint]