Microsoft has certainly got a real fight on its hands here.
Whilst their current smartphones appeal to enterprise and techno-junkies, I think they will have a hard time selling their devices to the average consumer.
The main problem, as I see it, is that most of their devices are designed and built by HTC. HTC have zero brand recognition and most consumers will stick to brands they know. With the success of the RAZR, it's obvious that industrial design is a top priority for consumers, but this is also HTC's biggest weakness. The build quality of their devices is also questionable. The SMT5600 was notorious for its problems and apparently the newer Cingular 2125 is also seeing similar issues. To put it simply, HTC are unlikely to ever hit mass market.
So that leaves Microsoft looking at other manufacturers to provide them with that leap into the mainstream. Motorola have proven to have a very poor track record when it comes to Windows smartphones and are increasingly throwing their weight behind Linux. Samsung are producing a few Windows smartphones, but again, are exploring other smartphone platforms and could jump ship. And then we have Nokia and Sony Ericsson exclusively releasing Symbian handsets. None of the big manufacturers are really getting behind Microsoft at this point.
So, I don't see where the volume sales are going to come from.
I'm sure Microsoft will play their usual game - plug away, invest huge sums of money, slowly improve their product and wait for the opposition to slip up. It's a strategy that's worked for them many times in the past.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xbit @ Feb 15th 2006 7:32AM
Microsoft has certainly got a real fight on its hands here.
Whilst their current smartphones appeal to enterprise and techno-junkies, I think they will have a hard time selling their devices to the average consumer.
The main problem, as I see it, is that most of their devices are designed and built by HTC. HTC have zero brand recognition and most consumers will stick to brands they know. With the success of the RAZR, it's obvious that industrial design is a top priority for consumers, but this is also HTC's biggest weakness. The build quality of their devices is also questionable. The SMT5600 was notorious for its problems and apparently the newer Cingular 2125 is also seeing similar issues. To put it simply, HTC are unlikely to ever hit mass market.
So that leaves Microsoft looking at other manufacturers to provide them with that leap into the mainstream. Motorola have proven to have a very poor track record when it comes to Windows smartphones and are increasingly throwing their weight behind Linux. Samsung are producing a few Windows smartphones, but again, are exploring other smartphone platforms and could jump ship. And then we have Nokia and Sony Ericsson exclusively releasing Symbian handsets. None of the big manufacturers are really getting behind Microsoft at this point.
So, I don't see where the volume sales are going to come from.
I'm sure Microsoft will play their usual game - plug away, invest huge sums of money, slowly improve their product and wait for the opposition to slip up. It's a strategy that's worked for them many times in the past.