Hidden Microsoft

Tyson Kopczynski

Previous Article Next Article

Will Windows Mobile 7 Succeed?

A look into one bloggers opinion on where Windows Mobile 7 might succeed or fail.

By tyson.kopczynski on Wed, 02/17/10 - 7:44am.

. What's this?

Well it has been announced and Windows Mobile 7 will soon be coming to a phone near you. However, I do believe the question that is on everyone’s mind is: “Will this release of Windows Mobile finally be a conqueror?” Granted, I’m sure the blog-o-sphere is a buzz with praising, belittling, or useless questioning via over analyzation. However, I feel very compelled to drop my opinion into the brewing cauldron as well (maybe it’s worth something). After all, I used Windows Mobile for years (more like suffered). I currently live in Japan which is land of the rising cell phones. And, I’m currently using an Android device from Docomo (I just couldn’t see giving my money to Steve).

Therefore, I have been a firsthand witness to the drastically changing mobile phone market for several years now. Unfortunately, during that time, I do not think Microsoft was really paying much attention to what this market was demanding. After all, with the previous versions of Windows Mobile, there was a lack of any inspiration coupled with a really poorly executed OS (raise your hand if you had to constantly reboot your Windows Mobile device) and an almost zombie like backing from Microsoft itself. Needless to say, Windows Mobile never really caught on.

Now, what is sad about the fate that Microsoft bestowed upon previous Windows Mobile versions was that they really could have taken center stage in the mobile market. After all, it’s about the apps. For example, despite how much praise you shower onto the iPhone, the technology that Apple dumped into it really was not that ground breaking. Come on… multi-touch has been around for years. It was only a matter of time before some lucky technology company managed to shove multi-touch into a phone. Apple just happened to be the first. Instead, the power of the iPhone is in the apps.

What Apple really came up with was brilliant platform for creating, distributing and consuming applications. In my opinion, this is what really launched iPhone into the stratosphere. Which going back to Windows Mobile, is something that Microsoft (if they had enough foresight) could have really capitalized on. After all, the thing that Microsoft has always done very well is make writing applications for their operating systems and platforms very easy. Now, I’m not saying, even this effort is not without its flaws but, they do try to cater to their development community.

Therefore, with Windows Mobile 7, it appears that Microsoft may have gotten the OS itself up to par (Just like with Window 7, the number 7 seems to be good luck for them). There also some interesting takes with what they have done the GUI and implied emphasis with social networking integration. But, what is really interesting is that Microsoft seems to finally be focusing on the applications. As revealed in press releases this week. The Windows Mobile Marketplace is being rebooted with more focus on matching and beating what Apple has on the iPhone. So, if Microsoft does this right, and can succeed in putting forth a superior platform for delivering applications to end-users, the developers will come (and this is no corn field). And, if they come, Microsoft will have finally succeeded in unleashing the tidal wave that is their developer community.

Only time will tell…

PS - I'm back!

Tags

What is Tech Briefcase?

TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more

Bookmark content

Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.

Search and Store

Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.

View Anywhere

Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.

Don't have an account yet?

About Hidden Microsoft

With more than ten years of experience in IT, Tyson Kopczynski has become a specialist in Active Directory, Information Assurance, Windows automation, PKI, and IT security practices. Tyson is also the founding author of the Windows PowerShell Unleashed series and has been a contributing author for such books as Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 Unleashed and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed. He has also written many detailed technical papers and guides covering various technologies. As a consultant at Convergent Computing, Tyson works with and provides feedback for next generation Microsoft technologies since their inception and has also played a key role in expanding the automation and security practices at CCO. Tyson also holds such certifications as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), the SANS Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) and SANS Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), and the MCTS (Application Platform, Active Directory, and Network Infrastructure).

Certifications: