Microsoft released its first sales figures on Tuesday for new Windows Phone 7 smartphones, saying more than 1.5 million of the handsets were sold in the first six weeks. Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phones, said sales were "in line with our expectations - especially when compared to other new platform introductions."
"We are pleased that phone manufacturers sold over 1.5 million phones in the first six weeks, which helps build customer momentum and retail presence," Berg said in a statement. Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its mobile phone operating system in October as it seeks to claw back lost market share from Apple's iPhone, the Blackberry and devices powered by Google's Android software. South Korea's Samsung and LG Electronics, Taiwan's HTC and US computer giant Dell are among the companies manufacturing Windows Phone 7 handsets.