Is a WinMo 6.5 “Touch Interface” going to usher in a two-tiered WinMo environment?

Posted at 5:59 am August 19, 2009 by

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While Steve Ballmer aka “The Balms” may be steadfast on his belief and assertion that Windows Mobile will always be a single OS in the sense that their won’t be several tiers like the desktop variant, new information that is coming out seems to suggest otherwise. With the recent leak of the HTC Leo ROM which incorporates the new TouchFlo 3D 2.6, we can see that the interface appears to be moving more towards the finger users in the world and eschewing the trusty but old stylus. Further adding fuel to the good ‘ol rumor fire comes by way of DigiTimes with new information that an actual “Touch Interface” update to Windows Mobile 6.5 is due out sometime around February 2010. Now, this upgrade won’t be a new OS, merely an update to the October 1st release of Windows Mobile 6.5. Windows Mobile 7 on the other hand isn’t slated for public consumption until long into next year — Q4 of 2010 to be exact. So why bring a touch interface update to 6.5 later in the game?

It seems to me at least that it would make more sense to either tie it into the official launch of 6.5 or wait until 7. Though I can understand that WinMo in it’s current form is grossly outdated when comparing it to Android and the iPhone OS in terms of appearance, usability, and features, launching in the middle of two larger releases seems odd. DigiTimes is conjuring up the possibility that Microsoft could be heading towards a two tiered mobile OS environment in which Windows Mobile 6.5 Happy Touch Edition and Windows Mobile 7 coexist in perceived harmony. The belief is that Microsoft will lower the price of WinMo 6.5 to compete with lower end Android handsets and keep Windows 7 as a more “professional”/higher end offering to compete with the iPhone. If that’s the case, from what I’ve seen so far, WinMo 7 has a loooong way to go. Not to mention, Microsoft so far hasn’t be able to do much innovating with Windows Mobile since…..ever. What they fail to do with one will simply end up as a double failure don’t you think? Still, it’s not like I’m not rooting for Microsoft to pleasantly surprise me. I love competition. And I love surprises. Wow me Microsoft. Wow me.

So what do you think? Does this hypothesis hold any real weight or is it merely wishful thinking?

Source: Engadget