theregoesdave

Microsoft officially launched Windows Mobile 6.5 on Oct. 1 and already has plans to keep the platform alive and kicking well after it releases Windows Mobile 7 late next year. The company is calling it a ‘dual-platform’ strategy, but when you branch a software version off onto its own, it’s commonly called a fork.

Fork is a befitting expression for what Microsoft is doing to Windows Mobile. Microsoft doesn’t need to have two versions of Windows Mobile to compete against Android and the iPhone separately, it just needs one good one.

What Microsoft needs to figure out is that it is competing with Google and Apple along two dimensions, not too entirely different markets:

• Android wins over developers and users because it’s an open platform. It is completely open to developers, can evolve as new features are released and is made for tinkerers.
• The iPhone wins with so many users and developers because it has a fantastic user experience. Apple has re-defined touch interfaces and created a framework for usable applications though it’s certainly not open source or an open platform.

Branching Windows Mobile into multiple versions is more of a cry for help than it is a viable long-term strategy. Until Microsoft improves the experience of Windows Mobile and opens up its platform, the company will remain one step behind the market.

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