Windows Mobile a Man's Smartphone?

(Photo by gregor_y, remixed)

Yikes - I would not have guessed this:

According to a recent research by Microsoft, only 14.6% of the Windows Mobile usrs are women, compared with 85.4% of men. This is a serious indicator that in the next generation of Windows Mobile phones marketed in Japan, they should design it so that women will be more comfortable to use it.

Read: Windows Mobile in Japan

I'd hazard a guess that this isn't just a Japanese issue. Is there something manly (or anti-woman?) about Windows Mobile? A bit of hunting doesn't show a definitive study (or rather, a definitive study we don't have to pay for), but it seems pretty clear that smartphone usage does tend to trend male.

...We'll give a shiny penny to the first person who can explain this divide to us without devolving into offensive gender stereotypes. In other words, saying there aren't enough pink Windows Mobile phones will earn you a slap on the wrist, not the penny.

WC Staff