It seems that Microsoft won’t be changing too much about its distribution model for Windows Mobile when it releases the genuinely very impressive looking Windows Phone 7.
Now... does it do multitasking?
For now, there’s not an awful lot we don’t know about Microsoft’s upcoming update to its mobile operating system line, apart from the fact that it seems to be a fairly dramatic departure from its previous Windows Mobile efforts, both graphically and in terms of its actual use. Now though, TomsHardware is reporting that we can expect to see Windows Mobile 7 setting manufacturers back a licensing fee.
It’s interesting stuff when you consider the rest of the industry. The fact is that, with the exception of the open source Android OS, there are relatively few smartphone operating systems out there that are used outside the company for whom they were developed. RIM’s devices run its own BlackBerry OS, while Palm has its Web OS chugging along nicely, and Apple’s iPhone OS, with the success of its App Store, seems unlikely to be going anywhere.
The real question will likely be whether or not the cost is so high that users see a pronounced bump in price between smartphones running other operating systems, in which case Windows Phone 7 could begin to look a little less attractive, regardless of its glossy UI.
Describing the move, Ballmer said that,
“I think there’s something clean and easy to understand about our model… We build something, we sell that thing.
I think it’s not only in our best interests, but it’s… a simple model that’s easy for developers, handset manufacturers, and our partners to deal with, to understand, and to build from.”
While the news that Microsoft will be charging for Windows Phone 7 shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, it will still be interesting to see how well it works out. The fact is that Windows Phone 7 seems to be a very polished affair, one that likely took an awful lot of work to put together, and one that plenty of people will likely be willing to pay to have running on a smartphone.
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