The KIN is dead, long live the KIN

June 30, 2010 | By Surur

The KIN is dead That was fast. It seems rumours of abysmal sales of the KIN were right, with Microsoft killing the KIN team and stopping all further development of the handset.

Microsoft’s official statement to Gizmodo reads:

We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.

So in short the Danger/KIN team will be folded into the Windows Phone 7 team, likely no GSM handsets will be produced, and even more likely production of the CDMA handsets will cease, and all stock will be sold at heavily discounted prices.

Microsoft purchased Danger, the creators of the software which powered the Sidekick for a rumoured $500 million in 2008, and likely countless of millions was spent by the Premium Mobile eXperience team under Roz Ho since then to create the KIN. Rumours of delay and infighting came to light in October 2009, indicating that the lack of features in the handset were more likely related to issues in development rather than a focus on user experience.

If there is one thing Microsoft can rescue from the KIN fiasco is the possibility of recuing the one great feature of the KIN – the KIN Studio, and bringing it over to Windows Phone 7.

So in the end, the KIN is dead, but some part may live on in our phones for many years to come.

Thanks Mo for the tip.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged kin

http://intensedebate.com/people/djguapo djguapo

I am proud to be the owner of a soon-to-be museum piece.

They put up a good fight, given the leaks, adversities, and lack of resources.

For the time being this is still the only phone that does Zune, and that counts for something.

Homesexual Male

Oh geez , they put up a GREAT FIGHT.

They had a feature-rich product at a competitive price point… but wait, they did the exact opposite!!?!! Wat!!

Microsoft are done in mobile, check it out dudez. The failure of KIN is only going to make Microsoft seem even more loopy in the mind of the blogez.

http://intensedebate.com/people/wmpoweruser wmpoweruser

I'm not sure lack of resources is a justified statement.

http://intensedebate.com/people/WMPerson Wen(WM)

What they did for the Kin was simple Pathetic for a company of their magnitude… they simple do not try hard enough… They could have surveyed somepeople and asked them what they wanted. And considering the build quality the phones had, they need a better design and manifacturing team. Thankfully no more products made by Microsoft… They should stick to software. They arent Apple.

mbcls

who want this Kin garbage?
i heard Kin doesnt even have calender or calculator! haha

http://intensedebate.com/people/djguapo djguapo

I heard you don't even have a dictionary.

http://intensedebate.com/people/WMPerson Wen(WM)

HAHA thats just wrong.

Rico

It's as though they pushed it out the door to please shareholders who wondered what became of the Danger acquisition and millions of R&D and hoped no one would notice how poorly-positioned and simply underwhelming it is.

i'm sad for the loss because i was looking forward to a GSM Kin One with better built-in apps and maybe even a marketplace. But the more i think about it, the more i realize that the Kin is basically a WP7 device with a different launcher and an almost exclusive focus on cloud storage. i'm sure we'll see something similar running Windows Phone 7.
http://www.facebook.com/Bugblatter Bug Blatter

So they targetted a particular market and then found out that that market didn't want to buy their phone.

And with WM7 they're primarily targetting people who would normally buy an iPhone. How are they going to tempt people away from the iPhone? They'd have had a very tough job anyway, but iPhone4 has just made it far tougher.

I know I'll get voted down for this, but I really think that MS has made a mistake with their target demographic, for WM7 just as they did with the Kin.

http://intensedebate.com/people/martinschmidler martinschmidler

I agree with the KIN part.

But the iPhone 4 is in many parts just catch-up that Apple is doing:
- higher-res screen: Engadget found out that Super AMOLED and Retina display are equally good.
- higher-res camera: catch-up. Of course what Apple does better is the quality aspect but I am sure HTC and Samsung can do that as well.
- front facing camera: Oh wow we had that for..3 years now?!
- video calling: Again, they are not the first but they make it incredibly easy. I think Microsoft can do it as good while also offering the possibility to use 3G.
- gyroscope: +1 for the iPhone4 here.
In terms of OS there are not too many changes.

And for people tempting away from the iPhone: It will work because so many are seeking for an equal alternative. In some areas WP7 "v1" lacks features. But Xbox Live and Zune plus the interface really make it stand out of the crowd. How about a little faith in good, Bug Blatter?

http://www.facebook.com/Bugblatter Bug Blatter

I agree they're just playing catch-up, but they have caught up now.

Sales of the many Android phones only managed to equal sales of the iPhone 3GS when the Android hardware was so much better it was embarrassing.

Now that the hardware's pretty equivalent the iPhone will go back to being 'the one to have'. I wish that wasn't the case, but Apple's marketing does work.

XBox Live support will tempt some customers, but I suspect many of those would have otherwise gone to Android rather than iPhone. There are far more non-techies than techies out there, and what will matter to them is which is the 'coolest' (or which do they think makes them look the coolest), which has the flashiest UI and which has the best games and other apps.

I'm surprised that Apple hasn't updated the UI; perhaps it's difficult because it's quite literally iconic. This is one area where MS has a chance, but Metro isn't to everyone's taste. Remember that iPhone defectors can go to either Android or WP7 (or Blackberry, which is still the one to beat).

I'm a man of science, not a man of faith

http://intensedebate.com/people/martinschmidler martinschmidler

Many people also are not very good informed about smartphones. A lot of people ask me (I own a TouchPro) if I got an iPhone. Just because it is a touch device…. lol !

If Microsoft get's the advertising right and makes sure the salespeople and resellers do their job good WP7 will be a success (e.g. the Windows7 booths at local tech stores are nice). The people who purchased a WP7 device will then notice that it is of high quality (important change from the past) and if MS gets the updates out quick the consumers will be perfectly happy.

http://intensedebate.com/people/chinch chinch

Looks like Steve B. is cleaning the WM house.

It seems like KIN was really delayed (from xmas2009 from when the FCC pics were leaked) and thankfully stilborn overseas to focus 100% on WP7. With HVGA in the WP7 spec the only surprise was why bother releasing KIN at all on a 2 month trial basis, less than 6 month before WP7 ships.
http://www.avianwaves.com Parrotlover77

Jesus H. Frakking Christmas! They gave up THAT QUICK after that long of an investment (Kin rumors and leaks have been going on for over a year)? What is going to happen if WP7 sales are lackluster? I mean there's a strong possibility they may be. Scrap it and start over again?

I get voted down every time I say this, but there is a REASON you don't abandon a platform on a whim and start over! It usually doesn't pan out as well as continuing the platform because you have to start from scratch on everything!

Maybe Windows Embedded Mobile (in whatever form) is more than just legacy support for a legacy platform. Maybe it's a contingency plan. lol. Meanwhile, WM continues to bleed developers and users to Android and iPhone…

NuShrike

Agreed! Probably in the light of all the major releases (iPhone4, Samsung Galaxy, all the Samsung dumb-phones) where does a SideKick sequel with a rebooted OS fit? 1.4 million over the weekend for iPhone vs a small percentage for KIN probably sealed the deal.

All the SideKick kids mostly transitioned to the iPhone anyways where they can do mostly everything it does and more without feeling like getting ripped off.
http://intensedebate.com/people/chinch chinch

it was obviously cut loose (with robbie b.) since it was perhaps 12 months late to market. it would have been killer if released along with zuneHD. Sharp doesn't even make phones!

only a total brain-dead blogger or apple groupie would think MS will abandon WP7.

MS just DOUBLED DOWN on WP7.

http://www.avianwaves.com Parrotlover77

My comment was tongue-in-cheek, but part of me is wondering if this might *actually* happen to WP7. Consider this. What if bugs or manufacturing problems delay WP7 to January? It's possible. We've seen worse delays…like Kin. Missing the holiday season would be a huge downer to WP7. When it is released, it won't be like the iPhone 4. There's no built-in demand for it yet. So it's possible to imagine a situation where it misses Q4 and has lackluster Q1 sales. If Kin is a model for MS's tolerance of mobile failure, whose heads start rolling? I'm not saying they are going to abandon WP7, but it's entirely plausible that there might be another drastic paradigm shift. That might be good for guys like me that want a more open system. Or they might just refocus, yet again, and triple down on the Xbox support and become even less of a power phone. I'm wildly speculating, but dumping Kin so quick does not exactly inspire confidence in MS mobile platforms right now!

http://intensedebate.com/people/chinch chinch

there will be no paradigm shift given WP7 actually integrates all of micrsoft's services for the first time (xbox live, music/zune, sharepoint/skydrive, ms office/skydrive, photos/skydrive, etc.)

missing the holiday season is almost irrelevant (long term) given these devices are sold mostly on 2-year contract and people's contract expire at different times. many WP7 customers will be from android (old devices locked out of v3) and featurephones and obviously business/corporate.

that said i'd wager the devices ship several weeks before xmas on all carriers. See the lack of inspired new phones with redundant droid models (incredible, droidX, droid2) shipping July/Aug from Verizon alone. WP7 won't be a cult/geek/izealot phenomena but neither was android which is outshipping iPhone already.

Only an imbecile would think WP7 won't show very, very well in retail (games, music, pictures, browser, etc.). It out "iphones" the iphone really. And not stuck on ATT only.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Parrotlover77 Parrotlover77

Basically the same argument you just gave could be said about the Kin.

You are pretty confident that making a superior product (on vectors you define as important) will cause people to jump from iPhone to WP7. I disagree. The Zune has always –always– done more than the iPhone at every generational release but sales have always consistently sucked.

Not being stuck on AT&T is, quite honestly, the one big thing going for Microsoft. I will admit that.

NuShrike

Uh, Sharp makes A LOT of phones. MOST of the DROOL-phones from Japan on DoCoMo or Softbank are Sharp phones. Just look for the SH moniker.

We were lucky they went out of their comfort zone to make Sidekicks.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Northerngeek Northerngeek

Microsoft didn't do the Kin many favours but Verizon killed it. That product built up a surprising amount of press and favour on Facebook, the fact that a dumbphone had smartphone plan pricing is ridiculous.

I assumed we see this after Robbie Bach's departure. Oh well.