Microsofts Dual Platform?

January 19, 2010 | By l3v5y

There have been rumours spreading around of a dual platform approach for Windows Mobile, with WM6.X being a low end oriented OS, and WM7 being a high end OS.

Whilst browsing around jobs at Microsoft, I found one describing

Here’s your chance to join a team where you can truly make a difference in one of Microsoft’s fastest growing businesses. Windows Mobile has been a great platform for building phones that meet the needs of the business user. With the aid of Moore’s law however, the majority of phones sold in 3 years will have smartphone capabilities. Microsoft recognizes where the industry is trending and has increased its investment in consumer experiences.

So, as far as Microsoft is concerned, everyone will have a smartphone soon.

Perhaps Microsoft want to get in first with the low end before everyone else does? What do you think?

The full job description can be found here.

About Olly Levett

majg

I think it's part obvious and part smart strategy. Oviously at some point the only phone available is a smart, super, i phone of some sort. I think having a duel platform helps with hooking customers. For instance, for older/lite version of WM, along with regular apps, more of the apps/services available will be available via the cloud, over a few years time, most people on the lite platform will be able to upgrade to a the higher platform with ease.

I think we'll get a better idea at Mix this year, that's shaping up to be major as well.
goograwks

Another thing that MS is getting into in a big way is other social experiences. This job piqued mky interest as well.
https://careers.microsoft.com/JobDetails.aspx?ss=…

"FUSE (Future Social Experiences) Labs is a recently formed lab in the office of the Chief Software Architect. We are a nascent group with a mix of Microsoft and industry veterans along with a great engineering team. We are building a transformative social experiences that span social connectivity, ubiquitous data, rich media experiences and harness the capabilities of new sensors and devices. Like other labs, this advanced development team identifies “leapfrog” experiences that are more speculative or beyond the current mission of our product teams, which when successfully proven can become strategic elements of Microsoft’s products and services for consumers and information workers."

I'm glad that folks are digging within the job banks to "connect dots" in a more educated manor.

Seriously, dig here and tell me MS isn't serious about Entertainment and Devices.
http://www.microsoft-entertainment-jobs.com/

http://twitter.com/iFlossiFOB @iFlossiFOB

To tell you the truth. I want the hardware to release. If WM7 sucks, which we all know they're not just take a look at Windows 7, we can always downgrade back to 6.5. But truthfully we all know they're serious about this. Microsoft is a company that's way too proud, and Ballmer can't stand Google, and they definetly won't let Apple reign as king for much longer.

They may not take away from the consumer base of the iPhone but they definetly will be going against WebOS and Android. I think that's their real goal. Once they have an OS that's competitive enough all they need is the apps. That's what the iPhone has….APPS, and very lightweight

http://intensedebate.com/people/seika seika

Somewhat like Nokia's Symbian & Maemo strategy of using two platforms.

http://twitter.com/iFlossiFOB @iFlossiFOB

This promotes growth though. I don't think Maemo will be picked up by another manufacturer that's not Microsoft. Nokia MAY be the Cell phone giant, but they're only as good as their phones.

They need more Nokia N900 like phones that push the bar in its own direction. On top of that they need to get (drum roll) SUBSIDIZED

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Nokia are the mass market phone giant. Their smartphones are generally rubbish

John

But will there be 3? 6.x, Seven Business, Seven Media?

majg

Don't forget Project Pink, Project XYZ and whatever else J. Allard is up to.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

I'm personally fairly sure we'll see one version of WM7, not two. It just makes no sense to seperate the two platforms.

Most business users wouldn't mind playing some music on the commute to work, and most consumers would find editing the odd word document quite useful.

Jester

"…Microsoft recognizes where the industry is trending…"

Geez they're slow…
NuShrike

Blah blah blah. MS gotta puff some wind to keep people’s attention, nah?
http://twitter.com/iFlossiFOB @iFlossiFOB

It sounds pretty convenient. But then again idk. Microsoft apps or Sense UI???

1.5GHZ dual core snapdragon or 1.3GHZ snapdragon???

idk; I'm going to end up getting the Business Version I know that much, but if the Media version is that much MORE powerful then you can imagine I'm going to flash a rom with the media version.

I'm just excited for the hardware to come out. Microsoft is pushing forward whether or not their software us up to par with expectations.

WM has the most phones released under its name. WM phones sell relatively well (not the best). I'm just excited to see the Snapdragon processors start tearing up that "Seven" Kernel >x]

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

No mobile OS can actually use two cores currently…

http://twitter.com/jmmaury @jmmaury

Smartphones for the masses = Good idea. Dual platform OSs (winMo 6.x *AND* 7.x) = bad idea; support, upgrade, compatibility issues etc.

One platform depending on who you are/who you like (WinMo, Android, Apple etc.) but let's move to a pay for what you want option. If I don't want business app support on my Android, I don't pay for it but I'll pay for enhanced GPS services (for example). I.e. start with basic OS and bolt on directly compatible apps/support – or is this being done already through apps?

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

They're going to have to fade out WM6.5 slowly anyway, and continue to support it whilst they do. I guess it makes more sense to keep it going and make money than it does to lose it all together.

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

For those interested in the whole supposed media platform, http://www.microsoft-entertainment-jobs.com/job/U… may be of interest.
"The Entertainment & Devices Division ("E&D") is seeking an experienced business development professional to drive European content licensing in digital music. This is an exciting opportunity to make a high-impact contribution as part of a rapidly growing business in digital entertainment. The position will support E&D divisions including Zune, Xbox and Windows Mobile."

They want music and other content on Zune, Xbox and Windows Mobile. They are getting serious about entertainment!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5401995 Christopher Hippolyte

Why can't they just release one device slick enough in the UI, but robust enough in the features for the masses to use?? That's the theory with the iPhone, and clearly it works. You have both gearheads and people's mom's using it. For example, my mom is not very technically inclined and she's had an iPaq for about two years now given out to her by her job. (Its used to run some in house patient database and tracking software.) Clearly being a WM fan, I hooked it up for her…
1. got her a touch friendly on screen keyboard
2. got her Avant Go so she could read varous newpapers (i.e. NY Times) w/o an internet connection during her city commute
3. connected it to her job's exchange server so that she could get all emails, calender events, and outlook contacts

Ultimately, she only ever really used AvantGo and the calender reminders on the iPaq (in addition of course to her company's proprietary software that it was originally issued for).

Recently for Christmas, I got her an iPhone (initially I got her an HTC Pure, but returned it when I realised that there were no good alternatives to the now dead Avant Go and no newspaper apps for offline news reading and furthermore, it just would not work without spitting out 30 error messages a day complaining that it could not connect to her (non-existant data plan). So I set up the iPhone to do all of the above things that the iPaq could do. She now acutally USES the iPhone though!
I was shocked when I started recieving emails from her iPhone on the go as she used wifi hotspots. Shocked that she uses the echange calender to the full extent, and doesn't just look at pop-up notifications anymore. Shocked to realise that she started doing mobile browsing and even banking with the Safari browser. Shocked to see her lauch Pandora (which I admittedly installed, but did not expect her to use), to listen to music. She of course uses the plethora of news paper apps for the iPhone, and she has even used google maps once or twice. Even things like copy and paste she can do on the iPhone, but never figured out on the iPaq.

She never stepped out of the box on her iPaq and actually discovered its features. I hope that MS knows what its doing creating a less friendly business version, and leaving OEMs the task of skinning it. OEMs are NOT software companies. They can never compete with the likes of Apple, Palm, and Google in making a full fledged easy to use, and beautifully integrated complete UI. The best we can hope for is a pretty front end like HTC Sense, which hides the OSs full feature set, and makes it even more difficult for the average user to truly explore the full capabilities of the device. Skins as they are aptly titled hide a lot of things. MS on the other hand could and create a unified UI where every nook and cranny of features is readily or at the very least logically accessible.