Director

Last month, we talked about how IE9 had surpassed IE8 as the number one browser on Windows 7 worldwide.  This month that trend continues with IE9 growing worldwide on Windows 7.  New HTML5 experiences like Cut the Rope continue to show consumers what they can expect from a modern browser like IE9 - while developers have an HTML5 platform with IE9 that supports these rich, fluid experiences.

We think it’s critical that our customers can use Hotmail from any device they choose. So, in addition to making Hotmail work great on devices running Windows, we’ll continue to invest in great experiences on other major device platforms. The recent release of iOS5 and our Hotmail application for Android has made it even easier to use Hotmail on those devices, and the result has been over 12 million active Hotmail users on iOS and over 3 million active users of our Android application.

Today Microsoft and IDG hosted a webcast discussion where participants touched on a range of topics: from the flexible workstyles of today’s workforce to useful information on Windows 7 deployment. I found the conversation insightful so wanted to share a few key takeaways.

Time to pop open the champagne because, based on the latest data from Net Applications, IE6 usage in the US has now officially dropped below 1%!

We already had a pretty good idea about what the share numbers would look like for December on Friday, but wanted to just make sure everyone had the final data.

No surprises here, IE9 continues to grow on Windows 7 worldwide as expected:

The Hotmail team got some great (and humbling) news recently – Hotmail was named best web application of 2011 by PC Magazine.

On Friday, we mentioned that things were looking up for developers interested in building the latest set of web experiences for a modern browser like IE9. The good news for developers is that with IE9 at almost 35% share on Windows 7 in the US near the close of October - now 65% of all Windows 7 users in the US have a modern browser!

It’s looking to be a good Halloween for developers. Windows 7 share continues to climb, and as early as next month, IE9 on Windows 7 could be the leading modern browser behind IE8.  For developers this means that most Windows 7 users have a modern browser capable of running exciting, interoperable, HTML5 experiences - allowing developers to use the same markup across their websites.

Today we’re sharing several new Marketplace and App Hub enhancements that dramatically expand your opportunity with Windows Phone 7.5.

Windows Phone 7.5 devices are now available in Japan and Russia, and with several new phones announced this month, the rate of apps submitted that take advantage of new Windows Phone features (like fast app switching and multiple live tiles) is steadily increasing.