You may not want Windows Phone to be the third ecosystem, but it's got the best chance of the players currently in the market to be that third player.

Blackberry isn't going anywhere, and the other choices are simply upstarts with little (if any) commercial backing.

Microsoft has a critical enterprise presence in many large companies, and CIOs like the idea of a mobile platform that ties in elegantly to their other systems. Nokia's brand has a global reach and is helping Windows Phone outsell iPhone in 7 markets and Blackberry in 26 markets ( http://www.zdnet.com/windows-phone-outsells-iphone-in-seven-... ). Windows Phone also has a huge developer base, as it uses the same tools that millions of .NET developers already use. IDK if they will be "the" third ecosystem, but they aren't going to be going away any time soon.

Finally, Windows Phone is well-designed and easy to use, much easier than Android to manage. There's always a market for well-designed, easy things to use, especially with older people.

Blackberry 10 is really good OS and Blackberry itself has faithful and amazing user base. I wouldn't be exited by .NET developers either. From 7 platforms I have developed for only J2ME is worse experience than WP (sorry:)). While I can see how illusion that WP is winning is created when it is fed from MS cash cows and BlackBerry is basically underdog now.

In any case I would like to see more diversity not less. Diversity is not harming automobile industry - shouldn't harm mobile industry either.

"There's always a market for well-designed, easy things to use, especially with older people."

Apple has that market. Windows doesn't bring anything exciting to the table.

"Windows doesn't bring anything exciting to the table."

Sounds like somebody who has never used a Windows Phone.

This guy has used a Windows Phone before, and he has some things to say about it -- you might have heard of him, some Wozniak guy? ( http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/28/2983312/steve-wozniak-wind... )

Yes, Apple has that market -- for people who have $549 to spend, or spend money on some bloated post-paid contract.

iPhone 4s - non-contract price, $549 (previous generation)

Nokia Lumia 521 - non-contract price, $149.99 (current generation phone)

WP users have been waiting (and asking) for a global orientation lock since WP7's original release, almost 3 years ago.

They still don't have it.

Well, because I have been waiting for global screen orientation lock ever since I got a Lumia 800 (1,5 years ago). Still nothing to be seen.

Fellow Lumia 800 user, also tired of the lack of very much needed updates. I feel your pain.

I'm now waiting for the fall to come to see if any decent iOS or Android phones come along.

Then 'eat that' iOS too. The iPhone's system-wide rotation lock is pathetic. It can only lock to portrait mode — and yes, that requires forcing the fullscreen landscape mode in Safari back to portrait.

There's a big difference there: the iPhone has a system-wide rotation lock. It may not lock the way you want, but it's still there.

Windows Phone does not have one. At all. Not even "does not lock the way I want".

It is the 3rd ecosystem now.

Only because Blackberry's decline was so dramatic [1]. WP is growing very slowly. Plus, "3rd place" doesn't just mean "only one place behind". It means at least 15% market share behind, which is about 5 times what WP8 has now. Pretty big gap.

FF OS or even Ubuntu Touch could easily surpass it if they find the right partners, and especially if they focus more on the low-end, which FF OS seems to be doing right now.

[1] http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5192a95969bedd70220...