CEO of Microsoft talks in Oz about future of Windows Mobile
November 06, 2008 [General] | By Edward J. R.
After visiting Korea, Steve Ballmer dropped by to Australia (aka Oz) where he had a speech and Q&A session that kicked off alliance of Microsoft with Telstra Australia. One of topics was Windows Mobile and its competitors.
Here are some highlights:
* he used phrase "beautiful easy compelling way" but in current situation with Windows Mobile it hardly applies (still no finger based navigation and no fluid transitions in Windows Mobile)
* he underlined "software+service" idea that Microsoft brings and enables operators (like Telstra) to use high-bandwidth
* generally he mentioned 3 main areas of Microsoft's operations with Telstra (and probably also with other carriers):
o mobile services and devices (including a mention of custom Telstra user interface on top of Windows Mobile; covering also cloud synchronization in Live services probably)
o hosted business software (Exchange Server, Sharepoint Server, Office Communication Server, Live Meeting, etc)
o unified communications
* during Q&A session:
o he was predicting the future "10 years from now" and talking about touch big-screen displays, high-definition video streaming over Internet
o question was asked "what can we expect from Windows Mobile in next 12 months?", and he mentioned:
+ also some good work is done by Microsoft (heh? he did not mention any specifics)
+ mentioned that Windows Mobile sold 20 million devices
+ Windows Mobile 6.5 mentioned for next year
+ Windows Mobile 7 menioned without any release date (could be 2010
)
+ did NOT answer the question at all but just was talking in general terms (no promise of multi-touch support, nothing specific)
o belittled Google Android by saying that it is just their first phone, and that Google is just starting, and was laughing out Google, in belittling way, that their Google Android has no business model [what might not be true as Google has revenues from ads on search results and from the application store - even though the Google Android itself is free]
See also video and audio recordings of sessions, including the one with Steve Ballmer (click on the live webcast).
Conclusion: while Microsoft is pushing its servers (each worth tens of thousands of dollars) and its services to mobile operators, Windows Mobile still seems to play tertiary role... We find it strange to belittle a competitor (here: Google) that is indeed yet behind, that is just starting (first phone launched just last month), but let us remember that Apple iPhone was also behind Windows Mobile when it was starting merely 1.5 years ago but now is selling more phones than Windows Mobile. At least it is good to hear that Steve Ballmer mentioned
Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7 - thus confirming former leaks by Motorola. There is some progress out there at Microsoft in Windows Mobile area, but nothing of it has been released yet (we expect official launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 at Mobile World Congress 2009 in February 2009 and official launch of Windows Mobile 7 at the same event in 2010).
Source:
MSMobiles.com
