Does HTC “needs to take care of WinMo”?
Those hoping to see HTC do as Motorola and pass up WinMo 6.5 and instead climb into bed with Android while the world waits for WinMo 7 will be sorely disappointed. According to a recent interview conducted by alibaba.com, HTC’s CEO Peter Chou stated that while the market and their customers in particular are eager for more Android handsets, the company [HTC] has to “take care of WinMo”.
It’s kind of disheartening really. No one should take care of WinMo except Microsoft. If they can’t get the OS in line in-house, there’s nothing a 3rd party manufacturer can do. No amount of lipstick and pretty UI skins can cover up what Microsoft has failed to do — truly innovate WinMo.
HTC, like many other hardware manufacturers, have struck deals with Microsoft to support Redmonds mobile OS. Contracts aside, why a company would willingly spend so much time, money, and marketing prowess on what is essentially a minor upgrade seems silly. Motorola whom is in the worst spot right now, clinging to life, finally realized what the market wanted and went all Android, declaring that they were skipping WinMo 6.5 because it wasn’t anything special and that they’d re-look at the Windows Mobile scene come version 7. It’s the first smart decision they’ve made in a long, long time.
I didn’t expect HTC to just cut off WinMo high and dry as they’ve had a rather length relationship. But HTC’s decision to push ahead with WinMo 6.5 and even possibly hold back on releasing certain Android versions of exclusive WinMo 6.5 handsets is a very poor decision. I can guarantee Android better serves the hardware than WinMo in it’s current form. Android is the face of new, modern mobile technology while WinMo is nothing more than a poster child for old, washed up, and un-innovative. I’m hopeful that Microsoft can bring something exciting to the table come 2010 with Windows Mobile 7. But that’s a long way from now and both Apple and Android are moving ahead quick. Can Microsoft anticipate the other guys’ next moves?
So I beg the question: “Does HTC really need to “take care of Microsoft”?
Author: Mike Norris
visit my websiteGadget lover, smartphone collector, and beer connoisseur. I've been writing about gadgets for three years now and loving every minute of it. Outside of the digital landscape, I enjoy being active outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation, so feel free to drop me a line!
