In terms of actual hardware, Microsoft's best product by far is the Lumia 900, the fruit borne of their new partnership with Nokia, and the phone doesn't bear much resemblance any of the iPhone models still in production (iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S). The Lumia 900 is a larger phone (5.03" x 2.7" x 0.45" versus 4.54" x 2.309" x 0.37"), constructed of polycarbon instead of aluminosilicate glass, and its sold in Black, White, Cyan, and Magenta providing consumer with more color variety. Windows Phone 7.5 is also quite removed from iOS, easily seen with a comparison of the home screens.
This is the home screen of an iPhone 4S, running iOS version 5.1.1, which is the latest version of the software until the release of iOS 6.0 later this year. In iOS, apps downlaoded from the AppStore are arranged on a Home Screen, usually appearing in the order they were downloaded in. Users can rearrrange their applications onto any one of eleven home screens by touching and holding an app until the page of apps shakes, then using the same finger move it onto a new screen. The black blocks pictured here are known as "folders", places were multiple apps can be stored for quick access to a specific category of apps. Users can create folders at will by moving two apps together (one atop the other) and from there add up to 12 apps and give the folder a title to describe the apps that are placed there. In general iOS allows the user to determine the organization and placement of the apps on the screen, and all personal data like, unread text messages, emails, music, photos, and games can only be accessed and updated though the application that manages the content.
This is Windows Phone 7.5, the lastest edition of the software until versions 7.8 and 8 are released. First thing to note about WIndows Phone is that the opening screen, pictured here, isn't called a Home Screen, it's the "Start Screen". This OS organizes user data into "Tiles" and "Hubs": tiles act as links to assortments or individual pieces of data, whereas Hubs are collections of user-entered and web based data that the operating system compiles and organizes actively. Users can arrange the Tiles as they please and the Tiles update in real time (provided there's an active internet connection). In general Windows Phone is not as aethetically pleasing as iOS, where presentational niceness is a core design consideration, so it does lack many of the animations that iOS is known for. However this is advantageous for Windows Phone because attempts to mimic these features was one of Apple's arguements for infringement.
Article comments
1 - Martin Turner
I would disagree with the claim that the consumer is a loser from this. The consumer was a massive beneficiary from Apple's 10 year investment program which produced the iPhone, totally disrupting the smartphone market. The jury verdict rewards long term programs of that kind against short term imitations.
In as much as Android phones brought choice to the market, they also reduced it, pushing RIM close to unprofitability. If Microsoft / Nokia gain from this, then choice actually increases, because there will be three entirely distinct platforms (iOS, RIM and MS) as against the similar iOS / Android platforms.
In reality I doubt that consumers will see any fewer phones and any significant limitations on Android phones, since Apple is happy enough to license its patents as it already does for Nokia and offered to do for Samsung. However, the distorted competition which put RIM and Nokia on the back foot because they had their own R&D costs will be reduced.