1. Too many different phones will run Win with too many different capabilities, which makes it hard to develop something for them. (Application so-and-so will run on your mobile, but you will not be able to do "this" and "this").
2. I am not a programmer, but I have heard that, if they want to be successful, they really need to look at their development tools and improve them dramatically. Not just pretty names...
3. A side note: people are so used to not purchasing software on their Windows PCs (at least in Europe the phenomenon is blatant) that they will have a hard time convincing people to do it.
4. It is still unclear how this WinMobile with Skymarket will integrate with the Zune strategy. iPhone platform has still the advantage (compared to all other platforms) that there is a strong iTunes integration. People can purchase music as well as apps. Will windows allow to purchase music or video besides apps or just apps? If music can be purchased: doesn't this take away Zune sales?
Microsoft seems to have two concurrent strategies in two overlapping markets: "do it all on your own" in the digital player market with the Zune and "take everyone on board" with the smartphone market.
Problem is that these two markets started merging with the iPhone and the trend will only get stronger. How will Microsoft, Android, Symbian respond to that trend? Interesting question.
Let's wait and see how Microsoft plans to solve that very important strategic issue in the future. I would discontinue the Zune alltogether and integrate the music business in the new WinMob platform. I would also create a very strong and clearly defined set of minimum requirements. Maybe in three "device types": no touchscreen, touchscreen... Something like that.
If Microsoft doesn't do these things then the whole idea is destined to be a failure (my opinion). The limits of the "software only" strategy that Microsoft so successfully pushed in the PC market are becoming evident. No other player is developing software only (RIM, Nokia, Apple they all do more than just software).
My strategy idea?
Leave the whole idea of an OS aside and create Office and other similar software for ALL available platforms, becoming the "de facto" standard for sharing documents. Create a strong "MobileMe" (LiveMesh) style repository and sync platform for ALL OSs and become the "de facto" standard for sharing...
But that is something a stubborn company like Microsoft will never do.
There, however, could be the key for success.
That is my opinion as a simple user without any particular knowledge of programming (but some knowledge on strategic thinking (another domain, not IT)).
Microsoft: do yourself a favour and think outside the box.
Hmm. MS has made money on the Xbox. The Xbox has done as well as any console, except the cheap, popular, and profitable Wii.
I'm not sure it's accurate to say that MS has made money on the Xbox. They might have finally gotten their gaming division to operate in the black, but that doesn't necessarily mean their profits have offset their previous huge losses in the field. To "make money" I'd assume you'd have to have made more money from a venture than you've spent over its lifetime.
First Google (Android Market), now Microsoft. Google is now becoming more and more like Microsoft (copying Apple).
I don't see Android as copying OS X iPhone. They use the same browser engine, but so does Google Chrome and S60. In fact, Symbian was the first to use WebKit on a browser so Apple would be copying them. Google isn't trying to take any of Apple's business, it's going after the majority of phones that won't be using Apple's OS with uses Safari which defaults to Google as a search engine already and runs WebKit which makes it much more compatible with the rest of Google's services than IE on WinMo or the crappy mini-browsers that on many cell phones.
solipism, Google's copying everything, not just products. business models, business plans, etc.
If they are, then you don't mind going into a bit more detail? I just don't get what you're saying, and so far, you've said nothing to back up the statements.
The phone shots I've seen aren't the same, even if they were, they are just development prototypes, it's going to be the hardware partners that make the hardware. Skymarket has significant changes that it's not really the same, it's more of a virtual mall than a store. Apple isn't the first to put a store on a phone either.
Comments
2. I am not a programmer, but I have heard that, if they want to be successful, they really need to look at their development tools and improve them dramatically. Not just pretty names...
3. A side note: people are so used to not purchasing software on their Windows PCs (at least in Europe the phenomenon is blatant) that they will have a hard time convincing people to do it.
4. It is still unclear how this WinMobile with Skymarket will integrate with the Zune strategy. iPhone platform has still the advantage (compared to all other platforms) that there is a strong iTunes integration. People can purchase music as well as apps. Will windows allow to purchase music or video besides apps or just apps? If music can be purchased: doesn't this take away Zune sales?
Microsoft seems to have two concurrent strategies in two overlapping markets: "do it all on your own" in the digital player market with the Zune and "take everyone on board" with the smartphone market.
Problem is that these two markets started merging with the iPhone and the trend will only get stronger. How will Microsoft, Android, Symbian respond to that trend? Interesting question.
Let's wait and see how Microsoft plans to solve that very important strategic issue in the future. I would discontinue the Zune alltogether and integrate the music business in the new WinMob platform. I would also create a very strong and clearly defined set of minimum requirements. Maybe in three "device types": no touchscreen, touchscreen... Something like that.
If Microsoft doesn't do these things then the whole idea is destined to be a failure (my opinion). The limits of the "software only" strategy that Microsoft so successfully pushed in the PC market are becoming evident. No other player is developing software only (RIM, Nokia, Apple they all do more than just software).
My strategy idea?
Leave the whole idea of an OS aside and create Office and other similar software for ALL available platforms, becoming the "de facto" standard for sharing documents. Create a strong "MobileMe" (LiveMesh) style repository and sync platform for ALL OSs and become the "de facto" standard for sharing...
But that is something a stubborn company like Microsoft will never do.
There, however, could be the key for success.
That is my opinion as a simple user without any particular knowledge of programming (but some knowledge on strategic thinking (another domain, not IT)).
Microsoft: do yourself a favour and think outside the box.
Hmm. MS has made money on the Xbox. The Xbox has done as well as any console, except the cheap, popular, and profitable Wii.
I'm not sure it's accurate to say that MS has made money on the Xbox. They might have finally gotten their gaming division to operate in the black, but that doesn't necessarily mean their profits have offset their previous huge losses in the field. To "make money" I'd assume you'd have to have made more money from a venture than you've spent over its lifetime.
First Google (Android Market), now Microsoft. Google is now becoming more and more like Microsoft (copying Apple).
I don't see Android as copying OS X iPhone. They use the same browser engine, but so does Google Chrome and S60. In fact, Symbian was the first to use WebKit on a browser so Apple would be copying them. Google isn't trying to take any of Apple's business, it's going after the majority of phones that won't be using Apple's OS with uses Safari which defaults to Google as a search engine already and runs WebKit which makes it much more compatible with the rest of Google's services than IE on WinMo or the crappy mini-browsers that on many cell phones.
solipism, Google's copying everything, not just products. business models, business plans, etc.
If they are, then you don't mind going into a bit more detail? I just don't get what you're saying, and so far, you've said nothing to back up the statements.
The phone shots I've seen aren't the same, even if they were, they are just development prototypes, it's going to be the hardware partners that make the hardware. Skymarket has significant changes that it's not really the same, it's more of a virtual mall than a store. Apple isn't the first to put a store on a phone either.