It looks like RIM is making some headway in mobile OS wars as it has just taken the lead over the Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS.

The most dominant mobile OS is still Symbian, and it comes as no surprise as Nokia is still the no. 1 mobile phone manufacturer in the world and others like Samsung also use the same OS on their phones. RIM has overtaken Microsoft as it now has 17.4% market share over the 12% of Windows Mobile. It’s also a considerable improvement compared to the same time last year where RIM and BlackBerry only had 8.9% users. Add the fact that the BlackBerry OS is limited to BlackBerry devices only unlike Windows Mobile which can be found in a variety of devices across a multitude of manufacturers, it is quite a feat.

I guess this is a clear indication of how the smartphone market is clearly changing. Maybe Windows 7 can save Microsoft when and if it does become available in 2009. Who knows, right? For now, RIM’s popularity is on the upward trend and will probably continue to do so as they release new products such as the Pearl Flip that will provide their loyal customers as well as new ones with an alternative to the usual BlackBerry fare.

[source]