Microsoft Doesn't Understand the Smartphone

The personal computer was the most popular consumer and business electronic gear for years. No other device has had such success, thanks in large part to its open nature. With the exception of the less successful closed architecture of Apple's Macintosh, the PC could accept any number of operating systems, from Linux to Windows, and it was easily updateable. During recent times a PC could be used for as long as a decade, maybe longer.

Apparently, the next generation of computing is smartphones. They have been around for less than a decade and are generally replaced every two years, making them an incredible money maker for manufacturers that can keep up with demand.

Although people have talked about the potential for an open smartphone, none of the current crop are truly open. Only Microsoft, which made its fortune on open ideas, has been making noise about creating versions of Windows 10 for the phone that could be ported to various Android phones.

This idea would be great—if it actually worked, and if it improved the user's phone experience. The problem is, the public has not warmed up to the Windows Phone OS itself. And you have to wonder why.

I admit that I have not played with Windows Phone since the last time I visited a Microsoft store. A clerk briefed me on the newest features, but he did not seemed enthused (I wouldn't be surprised if he used a different OS himself.)

I had a couple of Lumia phone review units a few years ago, including the luxurious Lumia 800 which failed to boot within a month. Because it was sealed, it was apparently impossible to repair. But nobody at Nokia or Microsoft wanted to discuss it. They just wanted the phone back.

That pretty much summarizes the promotional efforts by Microsoft for these phones and this OS. Thus they are never in the conversation. There are no roadshows, there are no people hounding the media to use the phones. As I've discussed for years,  even the advertising campaigns, while well-produced, were all counter-productive.

Microsoft needs to find the people who orchestrated the Windows 95 rollout. They can't all be dead. Now that was a group of marketers who could promote.

So, back to this idea to put Win 10 Phone on the Android platform. This would be easily scuttled by one Google ad as follows:

Scene: Guy outside of office building fiddling with his phone when a friend hurriedly approaches.

Friend: Hey, Bill, I left my phone at work, can I borrow yours?

Bill: Sure, here.

Friend: Hey. What gives? What the heck is this? (sneers)

Bill: (ashamed) Its... Windows Phone 10.

Friend: What? This was a regular Google Android phone. How did you get Windows 10 on it? More importantly, why? Why!? Are you nuts? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Bill: Yes, I downloaded it. In hindsight that was an idiotic idea.

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Friend: You are screwed now.

Bill: Yes. Yes I am. How could I be so stupid?

END

Seriously, what would it take to scuttle the entire concept?

When the PC industry began in the mid 1970s, there were a lot of proprietary platforms. All fell by the wayside when the IBM PC came along, followed by the universe of clone systems, all open. This transition happened quickly, but was well established before the PC, with the S-100 bus, became the de facto standard.

Nothing like this happened with the smartphone. This is because the mobile phone was previously established and never stemmed from a hobbyist movement like the PC. Few people ever tried to hack mobile phones; there was always fear that the handset would "brick."

Most of the great industries from auto-making to broadcasting to computers had their roots in experimentation by small-timers developing something they thought was cool. The mobile phone was a commercial entity from the start and became more so with the smartphone. Sure there are stupid apps you can design and (maybe, if Apple or Google says it is okay) you can sell them through their system for 99 cents. It is nothing like computers and never will be. Microsoft does not seem to understand this.