Sam Dean argues that Microsoft would be wise to open source parts, if not all, of their crappy Windows Mobile operating system. This is an interesting thought, especially with the news a few weeks back of Nokia buying and open sourcing the market leading Symbian operating system combined with the pending arrival of Google’s Android.

I don’t feel Microsoft will open source Windows Mobile. They have no reason to. In this coming world of Mobile OS battles, there is enough room in the market for two open source Mobile OSs (which include Symbian and Google’s Android) and a few proprietary ones (namely Windows Mobile and RIM BlackBerry OS). Microsoft will continue to position Windows Mobile as the necessary on-the-go companion for enterprises who use Windows Servers to power their networks and business-critical applications.

With this angle, Windows Mobile will continue to shed market share which currently stands at about 12% according to this Wikipedia article. I predict Apple’s iPhone will continue to make strides in the consumer smart phone market and their share will gradually rise, with RIM continuing to dominate the enterprise and Symbian having strong share in both arenas.

(photo credit: Flickr User Totoro!)