Microsoft's Windows Phone will arrive in China over the next few months, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer announced Tuesday.

The US software behemoth will introduce its phone in partnership with Nokia and other handset makers, Ballmer said at a forum in Beijing, without giving further details.

Ballmer said the Windows Phone would change people's concept of smartphones, and he mentioned that early users of it have expressed their satisfaction so far.

Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's latest mobile operating system, was released in the US in November last year, as a rival for Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating platform, but Windows Phones have not yet arrived in China.

Wang Yang, director of China research at research firm iSuppli in Shanghai, expressed optimism for the phone's prospects, saying it would provide users with another major operating platform. "Its sales are expected to be okay, given that Microsoft's strategic tie-up with Nokia will definitely help Microsoft gain access to China's market," he said.

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia remains the top smartphone brand in the country, though its market share has been shrinking as rivals have gained ground recently.

Nokia has lost its leading market position in its nearby Western European markets, as Samsung and Apple have moved ahead in terms of overall mobile phone sales and smartphone sales during the first quarter, according to research firm IDC.

Smartphones based on the Windows Phone system will account for around 10 percent of the nation's total market this year, Wang estimated, while noting that it remains early to say whether it can be a real competitor for Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

Ballmer also revealed at a developer forum in Japan Monday that Windows 8, the next generation of Windows systems for desktop computers and tablets, will ship in 2012. It was the first time the company has officially referred to its next-generation system as Windows 8.

"As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8 – Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors," Ballmer said.

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