Microsoft’s ambitious Vista operating system is viewed as a failure on many levels. Keven Turner, Microsoft COO, took an unfriendly jab at Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna problems, saying, “It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista, and I’m okay with that.” Is Turner speaking too soon, especially when his company’s Windows Phone 7 faces serious challenges ahead of its launch?

Windows Mobile 6.5 is trash. Who would disagree with me? With WP7, Microsoft hopes to alter public perception of its image as a low rent phone programmer. However, WP7 could be a KIN repeat before it is even born. A few visual improvements, a speed bump, and Xbox Live integration may not be enough to put Microsoft back in the game with RIM, iPhone, and Android. WP7 lacks multitasking and Flash 10.1 out of the box, two things that Android has over it. Then there is that pesky public opinion that thinks Microsoft is a poor man’s iPhone, but with steep hardware requirements, WP7 is probably going to be expensive. The number of hurdles for WP7 to overcome could be too much for it to handle.

Even with the present and real iPhone 4 antenna problem, would average consumers choose WP7 in its place? Would gadget geeks flock to WP7 over the Droid X, Galaxy S, Droid 2, Droid Incredible, etc.? I have difficulty picturing a universe in which the answer is “yes.”

Is WP7 another Vista? In my opinion, Vista 64-bit SP3 is actually underrated, and WP7 might be too.