Microsoft Isn't Planning On Making Any More Cellphones
Microsoft never really has had much luck in the phone market. Not the mobile OS market, mind you, the phone market. Recently, Microsoft attempted to reach the "tween" market with the launch of the Kin. The Kin lineup initially consisted of two phones on Verizon, both of which required pricey $30/month data plans just like a proper smartphone. Needless to say, sales were terrible considering the value proposition, and two months into their life, Microsoft pulled the plug. Kin no longer lives, and neither do hopes of Microsoft ever trying again.
Or, at least that's the current plan. Tivanka Ellawala, the chief financial officer of the company's Mobile Communications Business, recently told investors at a conference in San Francisco that his company simply wasn't interested in the hardware game again. Here's his quote, which came after being asked to address rumors that the company was considering making another run in the handset-making business: "We are in the software business and that is where our business will be focused."
That sums it up. Honestly, it sounds like the right decision. Usually it's always better to have more competition, but with so many great hardware makers already on the market (Samsung, Apple, LG, HTC, etc.), there's hardly room for more right now. And plus, Microsoft would have had a tough time managing two separate mobile operating systems, with Kin and Windows Phone 7 soon to come. It may be sad to hear for those that actually enjoyed the Kin, but it looks like Microsoft's days in the phone hardware business are all but history. But of course, history can always change down the road.
Or, at least that's the current plan. Tivanka Ellawala, the chief financial officer of the company's Mobile Communications Business, recently told investors at a conference in San Francisco that his company simply wasn't interested in the hardware game again. Here's his quote, which came after being asked to address rumors that the company was considering making another run in the handset-making business: "We are in the software business and that is where our business will be focused."
That sums it up. Honestly, it sounds like the right decision. Usually it's always better to have more competition, but with so many great hardware makers already on the market (Samsung, Apple, LG, HTC, etc.), there's hardly room for more right now. And plus, Microsoft would have had a tough time managing two separate mobile operating systems, with Kin and Windows Phone 7 soon to come. It may be sad to hear for those that actually enjoyed the Kin, but it looks like Microsoft's days in the phone hardware business are all but history. But of course, history can always change down the road.
