Analyst: Windows Phone to Be Second Most Popular by 2015

Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS, is predicting that Windows Phone will become the second most popular mobile platform by 2015. He believes Android will retain the top spot, but that Apple's iOS will fall to third.

Lam said that the deal which put Windows Phone on Nokia phones will play a major role in the growth of the platform. "Combined with Nokia's efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone ecosystem, the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in smartphone operating system market share by 2015." he wrote.

Microsoft is also working to make its platform more developer-friendly. "I would say one of the things [we] talked about at CES last week was just how important it is for us to work on and with developers to create a really vibrant developer ecosystem," said Microsoft's Bill Koefoed.