D. JonesMission Impossible? Microsoft's Pink Project!
April 8th 2010 09:30
Look out, Google. Microsoft is planning to launch a new line of mobile phones next week, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The software giant will reportedly roll out mobile devices with social-networking capabilities that target young consumers. The devices are part of Microsoft's strategy to invigorate its struggling mobile-phone strategy (Must they monopolize EVERY market? Should we rename Microsoft "Pokemon" as in "gotta catch them all" i.e. money?) The Microsoft devices, part of a development project code-named Pink (the singer?) will come to market first in the U.S., according to the Journal. Microsoft has reportedly partnered with Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. Pure and Turtle are said to be names for two of the phones. "With Windows 7, Microsoft has come a long way. The partnership strategies will help," said Phil Marshall, a wireless analyst at the Yankee Group. "The question is whether Microsoft has the DNA to execute on the strategy." (What an odd metaphor....Microsoft IS like a living organism, isn't it?....Money-sucking leech, comes to mind!)
As Marshall sees it, Microsoft has displayed a tendency to remain closely tied and arrogant about traditional Windows environments. He said Microsoft hasn't evolved sufficiently as a company to play in the mobile hardware market, particularly in integrating with social networks (Wow, that's a little harsh, isn't it?) "Microsoft is doing this as a defensive, rather than offensive, move, which I believe will make it harder for the company to execute on," Marshall said. "The smartphone market is really crowded right now. But if you are going to be in the future of the Internet, you need to be on the mobile Internet. So it's no surprise that Microsoft is pushing in this direction." (Translation: They are just greedy bastards!) Microsoft is attempting to do what Apple and Google have already done: Launch into a market where it has little experience (Gotta get those feet wet!) Apple's iPhone has been a sterling success. But while Google's Android operating system is picking up momentum in the smartphone market, the Google Nexus One has not seen the traction of the iPhone, or even the Motorola Droid or HTC Android phones.
Apple's iPhone market share is holding steady at about 25 percent, according to a Monday report from comScore. Google's Android increased from 3.8 percent to nine percent from November to February and may be gaining at Microsoft's expense. Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system declined from 19.1 percent in November to 15.1 percent in February.
Can Microsoft's Pink phone compete in what Marshall called a crowded market? "Microsoft's success here is a question of whether they have humbled, and humbled sufficiently to be able to operate in this kind of market, and how well they can perform relative to other players like Apple and Google that have demonstrated a greater ability to appeal to the consumer market, at least in the small-form-factor device," Marshall said.
Here is a sneak peak at "The Turtle" phone (photo from gizmodo)
Here is a sneak peak at "The Pure" phone (photo from gizmodo)
These phones are going to be made by Sharp, who'll get to share branding with Microsoft. Sharp produced the Sidekick hardware for Danger, who was bought by Microsoft almost two years ago. Pink will be primarily aimed at the same market as the Sidekick, and the branding and identity for it is highly developed, pointing toward a later stage in the development cycle.
The prior relationship between Danger and Sharp is the only reason we can think of why Microsoft stuck with Sharp for the new phones, and perhaps why they look so much like remixed Sidekicks. (That "turtle" one is weird! Does it double as a mirrored make-up compact?) The hardware design has a definite younger feeling: Turtle looks like a chunky child's version of a Palm Pre, while Pure seems like a standard slider, and both are clearly plastic, with an overall sense of roundedness, thanks to lots of soft angles and circular keys. It's been reported elsewhere that Pink phones will include Zune services, and have its own app store, making it as close to the Zune phone as we may get. We'll see if it's close enough, hopefully... soon...Check out this HYSTERICAL video to see what I mean by that!
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