Windows Mobile: The Plan Ahead…
If RIM Blackberry is synonymous with enterprise mobile and Apple iPhone is synonymous with consumer mobile. Microsoft Windows Mobile is still trying to define its place.
While it has all the features that can make it a overall great device, it has been receiving very modest acceptance mainly due to its aging user interface. Ironically the sale is still on track to reach 20 million devices shipped with Windows Mobile in the year to June, up from 11 million the previous year, which is way ahead of Apple iPhone and Blackberry to date.
Starting next month, Apple will have an aggressive plan for its world dominance including enterprise features for its highly anticipated 3G iPhone. Blackberry, Nokia, Microsoft and its partners are feeling the heat and start showing some innovation to please both enterprise and consumer markets with one single device such the Blackberry Bold and the HTC Touch Diamond.
In this week press event held at Microsoft HQ in Washington. Andrew Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business, told journalists: “Our focus going forward is not business or consumer, it’s business and consumer. People don’t see themselves as business or consumer” .
“Some people carry two phones… [but] that’s going to change. People are going to have one device,” insisted Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices division. at the same press event.
Based on report from TotalTele.com, I speculate Microsoft is focusing on the following points for its roadmap:
- While waiting to a brand new OS, Microsoft is counting on its partners such HTC and Palm to tweak the user interface to keep the appearance fresh from the consumer perception. At the same time Microsoft’s still issuing few OS enhancements in the background (e.g. WM 6.1, etc.).
- A new WM version will have much friendlier user interface covering both consumer and business features – there will be no separate lines of product.
- Integration of newly acquired Danger, the maker of the consumer oriented Sidekick on the future WM OS and devices to add more friendliness to WM interface.
- Still aggressively pursue the world largest phone maker Nokia for Windows Mobile adoption
And the last point the report mentions about the launch of last version of Windows Mobile operating system due to launch in the coming weeks. I think it refers to WM 6.1 that actually will be on the US market for the first time on the HTC Touch Dual.
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