( CNN ) -- Microsoft is going all out in an attempt to push customers to its new Windows Phone 8 operating system . All it has to do is convince people the platform is better than Google 's Android and Apple 's iOS . Easy , right ? The company officially launched the latest version of its smartphone OS on Monday in San Francisco . The press event is part of a larger marketing blitz by Microsoft , which started last week with the rollout of its new Windows 8 OS for PCs and tablets , and its new Surface tablet , which aims to take on the iPad . Soon , you wo n't be able open a magazine or watch TV without seeing an ad for the new Windows products , CEO Steve Ballmer said . Big tech launches like these are piling up in the weeks leading up to the holiday shopping season . Last week , Apple announced its new iPad Mini , a fourth-generation iPad and a refreshed line of laptop and desktop computers . Google also announced news on Monday on its blog , including a new Nexus 4 handset and updates to its Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets . The devices will go on sale November 13 . The company had planned to unveil the products at a large event in New York City but canceled at the last minute due to concerns about Hurricane Sandy . Secrets , once used to build anticipation ahead of these announcements , are getting harder to keep , due to leaky supply chains and forgetful employees leaving devices behind in bars . Only a few new bits of information came out of Microsoft 's presentation , which featured cute kids and Jessica Alba . The attractive and colorful Windows 8 interface was shown off on large moving screens . As with the desktop version , icons are replaced by live-updating squares and rectangles , called Live Tiles , which can be customized by the user . Microsoft highlighted a handful of new features . Parents might appreciate Kid 's Corner , a new limited mode for the phone that can be customized for your children . Rooms allows you to group people together and share calendars , updates or other select information with just that group . And Data Sense monitors how much of your data plan is being consumed , then optimizes your data usage so you can get more out of it . The Windows Phone 8 platform is n't just an updated version of its predecessor . Microsoft has overhauled its entire design and architecture to make it more similar to the Windows 8 operating system , so that the user experience and data are more consistent across the entire line of products . Microsoft 's SkyDrive feature can be used to sync photos , videos and Office documents across multiple Windows devices . Other changes include adding support for sharing-feature near field communication , over-the-air updates and support for quad-core processors . A new smartphone operating system is nothing without some slick new devices to run it . So far Windows Phone 8 has the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 , Samsung Ativ S and HTC 's Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S . The first devices designed specificially for Windows Phone 8 should be available in stores and online starting in November . Windows Phone has been around for two years , but it has yet to make a dent in a market dominated by Google and Apple . According to Strategy Analytics , Microsoft phones will only account for 4 % of the smartphone market in the U.S. in 2012 . The launch is n't just a big deal for Microsoft . Finnish phone maker Nokia is taking a big gamble on the Windows Phone platform too , which might be its last chance to win back smartphone customers . Nokia reigned as top cell phone company for many years , until 2007 , the year the iPhone came out . Last week , the company slid off the list of top five smartphone manufacturers in the world , according to research firm IDC . Nokia is still the No . 2 phone manufacturer in the world , thanks to its booming feature phone -- or `` dumb phone '' -- sales . Microsoft has a big sales job ahead of it on Monday , explaining to consumers and businesses why this platform is a better choice than Android or iOS . The Windows ecosystem 's biggest missing piece at the moment is its app selection . At Monday 's event , Ballmer said that the Windows Phone app store will have 46 of the top 50 apps from other stores , and announced a slew of new apps and games for the platform including Skype , Facebook , Twitter , Jetpack Joyride , Cut the Rope and Pandora ( all new Windows Phone 8 users will get one year of free music , no ads ) . There are still only 120,000 apps in the Microsoft app store , but that number could jump in the near future . Microsoft 's Build developer conference begins Tuesday at the company 's main base in Redmond , Washington .
Microsoft will officially unveil its new Windows Phone 8 operating system on Monday . The company only accounts for a sliver of the smartphone market . The launch is part of a marketing push which includes Windows 8 and the Surface tablet . Microsoft is going up against Apple 's iOS and Google 's Android operating systems .