Is Apple's early win against HTC an unexpected bonus for Windows Phone?

Apple's early win in a patent infringement complaint against HTC sent shock waves through the Android world late last week. In response to this loss, some handset manufactures may turn away from Android and look towards the Windows Phone platform for future smartphones, says a report in the mainland Chinese paper 21st Century Business Herald.

This report points to the upcoming release of the mango version of Windows Phone and both ZTE and Huawei's interest in this mobile OS from Microsoft. These small manufacturers don't have the resources to battle Apple in court and may chose to side with Windows Phone which is protected by an arsenal of patents held by Microsoft.

This theory does have one small flaw. These plans to adopt Windows Phone were in place long before the HTC ruling was handed down. Though this ruling may not have influenced the initial decision to adopt Windows Phone, it may have an influence on the future strategy of these smaller manufacturers. If Android continues to be assaulted by companies like Apple and Oracle, manufacturers could shy away from the Google-backed platform and turn towards an alternative.

[Via Electronista]