As a result of the newly inked deal between Microsoft and Nokia, the Redmond-based software giant hopes to eventually sell 100 million Windows Phone devices annually. “We have dreams and aspirations that we can get to 100 million units per year with that single deal,” Microsoft’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said during his presentation at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference on Wednesday. Following Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer’s earlier admission that Windows Phone sales are still “very small,” it is now more apparent than ever that the Nokia deal can potentially make or break Microsoft’s mobile business. While there are already a handful of great devices on the market, other Windows Phone partners such as Samsung, HTC and LG are currently focusing the bulk of their efforts on Android-powered smartphones, leaving Windows Phone 7 as something of an afterthought. Android has continued to grow rapidly over the past eight months while Microsoft’s mobile OS share in the key U.S. market has actually dropped 35% since the introduction of Windows Phone 7 last November. Turner gave no indication as to how quickly Microsoft hopes to reach the 100 million-device milestone.
