Assuming it still exists, RIM's BlackBerry will have shrunk to 23 million in the same time, the implication of which is that the market is only able to sustain three platforms at most. Others will have to pick up the crumbs.

So far there have been only a small number of sceptical voices among an analyst community largely adopting a wait and see approach to Windows Phone 8. It seems few want to bet against Microsoft's ability to throw money at its projects until something sticks.

Money will buy Microsoft a certain amount of love. After that it's over to the carriers, the sales people who work for them, developers with plenty of work on their hands already and a hard-to-please consuming public.