Given Microsoft’s past history with Windows Operating Systems, and the eventual success of Windows 7 recently, this could be a game-changer. In the past, Microsoft was notorious for advertising a product then falling short of expectations by consumers. Just recently, Microsoft released the “Kin” mobile phone, running a “close cousin” of the yet-unreleased Windows Mobile 7. Now, I can’t speculate the exact reason for its demise, but Microsoft has discontinued the Kin as of June 30th, 2010. Some say because of limited functionality, others say too much data leaves the phone and goes who-knows-where.
With the Windows Mobile family, it has always filled the corporate gap of control by IT administrators, email delivery, while still maintaining a consumer-like functionality. RIM’s Blackberry showed it could handle email delivery, but with the lack of applications to install, it fell short of an all-around success as a mobile phone. Apple’s iPhone, with its support for corporate email, has given Apple a definite jump to being on par with Microsoft. There are still features (such as control by IT administrators) needed before it becomes a huge player in the game, though. With the overall success as a consumer-directed mobile phone, myself included, Apple may want to keep an eye on Windows Mobile 7. As long the success-train can bring the Windows Mobile OS family on board, Microsoft will continue to be the leader in corporate email environments. If it cannot, there are definitely some great contenders. Only time will tell.