Zune Mobile Rumors Show MS May Have the Next ROKR On Its Hands
11:05 pm, December 14th, 2008, Pete Mortensen
The Blagoblogs are a-buzz this evening with word that Microsoft, though it definitely has no ZunePhone to show at next month’s CES (I know, I’m just as heart-broken as you are), will almost certainly launch some sort of software ‘n’ services platform for Windows Mobile called Zune Mobile. According to ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley, who is as interested in Zune Mobile as it is possible for a non-Microsoft employee to be, the platform may include “music purchase, playing, sharing and subscribing — and maybe even a little something special for podcasters/podcast listeners, too.”
Or, in other words, Microsoft may, if it plays its cards right, bring the technical media functionality of the iPhone to the legendarily poor interfaces of a thousand mediocre Windows Mobile phones, many of which have enough on-board storage for two or even three albums worth of music. Rather than attempting to a build a ground-up 21st century mobile platform, Microsoft is attempting to bolt on features that meet current user expectations, and then leave it up to dozens of hardware makers to see if the experience actually holds together. If true, this is a pretty sad bit of competitive response out of Redmond. At best, it’s a duplicate of a famous Apple failure — iTunes for the Motorola ROKR.
In that unfortunate experience, Apple brought iTunes support to a third-party phone, and then ran screaming as it realized the only way to ensure its name would only appear on a great phone would be to build the software and the hardware from the ground-up on its own. The iPhone resulted. Zune was Microsoft’s first attempt to follow such a strategy, to poor results thus far (in large part because Apple’s ecosystem was much stronger). Now, it would appear, Microsoft is relying on its standard software-only approach to respond to the iPhone juggernaut.
That’s pretty sad. As an enormous Apple fan, I would like nothing better than a credible challenge to the iPhone’s dominance — it means an even better iPhone than I can imagine in two years’ time. But if this is the best the Distinguished Competition has to offer, all we have to rely on is the vision of Steve Jobs. Good thing he can see for miles and miles, eh?
Via ZDNet
Posted by Pete Mortensen in Apple, Software, iPhone | Comment on this article
The competition for the iPhone isn’t probably Microsoft, but the likes of Samsung and Nokia. Microsoft missed the boat on phone computing, they are more and more missing the boat on mobile computing, though it is far too sson to write them off in that respect.
Microsoft has dominated the IT business for more than 20 years now, it is unlikely they will be the dominant player for another 20 years, as the distinguished economist Gailbraith has proven in his study on monopolies. Same goes for Apple.
Martijn, on December 15th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Android is the credible challenge. You must be living in a cave if you think you should look towards Microsoft for mobile phone innovation
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