Bonum Certa Men Certa

Windows Phone 7 is Already Failing, Linux to Blame

Destroyed



Summary: Assemblage of new evidence showing that Vista Phone 7 [sic] will fail just like Vista and "KIN", despite a massive marketing blitz

MICROSOFT'S mobile business is broken beyond the point of being repairable. Especially after the "KIN" debacle, companies are afraid to experiment with Microsoft's offerings. All Microsoft can rely on at this stage is marketing and more marketing. The press is filled with articles that cover just about nothing, mentioning Vista Phone 7 [sic] here and there for no apparent reason. That's just PR in action (strings are pulled behind the scenes and money changes hands). The agency in charge makes a lot of noise for senseless PR, as we noted before. The failure of the press to report news without money entering this equation is an important subject for another day.



Samsung is historically a large distributor of Windows phones, but right now Samsung focuses on Ballnux (Linux for which it pays Microsoft, for rather mysterious reasons as no patent infringement was ever proven). Following trouble complying with the GPL Samsung releases some more source code (for Android). CNN asks, "Will Samsung dump Windows Phone 7 for Android?"

Samsung isn't just any Microsoft (MSFT) launch partner. It is also the manufacturer of the prototype Windows 7 phones going out to developers and journalists for pre launch. They've said that this device won't be among the final Windows 7 products, however.

But is Samsung even planning to be in the Windows 7 universe for the long haul? Engadget spoke with Samsung's CSO Omar Khan who (see 12:45) wouldn't commit to having a Windows Phone 7 Series at launch. He really had next to nothing to say about Windows phones in general. Khan had plenty to talk about in the Android world, however and spent most of the interview talking about upcoming Android products.


There are many other articles like this one, e.g. "Samsung Favoring Android Over Windows Phone 7 And Bada" or "Samsung Picks Android, Windows Phone 7 Takes Hit". There's also "Samsung favors Android, marginalizes Windows Phone 7" and "Samsung Prioritizing Android, Downplaying Windows Phone 7".

“...a Microsoft brand phone has never had a bright future.”
      --FurnaceBoy
It would be wonderful news if it were not for the fact that Microsoft has a Linux patent deal with Samsung, which means that Microsoft benefits financially from all of this.

There is another company, called N-trig, which is turning away from Microsoft right now, in favour of Android of course. Microsoft Nick writes: "N-trig, an Israeli touch-screen company Microsoft invested in last year, is working with HTC on a tablet that will run the Google Android operating system, according to a report by the newspaper Haaretz."

Yes, tablets and phones are increasingly coupled, not just at Apple (iOS). There is a meeting half-way between desktops and phones and as expected when sub-notebooks made their debut, Microsoft was bound to get burned by it, especially when the scale gets tilted in ARM's favour on the hardware side. Pogson writes:

Does saving $20 per CPU look good while paying money for an OS like “7″ instead of GNU/Linux? Likely they are not paying much for “7″ as M$ tries to exclude GNU/Linux but why not ARM? That would be much less costly than $65. Apple went that way because it made sense and they were not tied to M$.

Clearly, M$ is distorting the market for netbooks. OEMs are getting out of the netbook market rather than using GNU/Linux on ARM which has major advantages in cost/performance. Consumers are being denied the lowest-cost option by the big OEMs.


Microsoft cannot really compete here. As we showed last night, Microsoft's tablet executive Bill Mitchell (a Vice President) has also just left the company. "[I]ts rats [are] deserting a sinking ship," wrote Chips B. Malroy a couple of days ago. All Microsoft can do at this stage is brainwash the public and allocated to the latest brainwash campaign is as much money as was allocated to Vista 7 marketing (if not much more). So get ready for a load of lies to be published in months to come. It will come in huge quantities regardless of the merits or relevance of Microsoft's 'new' platform.

"[P]oor things," said FurnaceBoy, "and a Microsoft brand phone has never had a bright future."

"WP7 will be stillborn," Chips B. Malroy concluded as he continued sharing links.

Here is another good article ("All not well for Ballmer's mobile dreams"):

Microsoft's launch plans for Windows Mobile 7 are fast running into the ground as partners are getting more iffy about the operating system.

HP has all but indicated that it will not be making an appearance when Windows Mobile 7 is launched. This is despite the fact that Microsoft has a contract with HP for $20 million to cover the cost of developing the operating system.


In IRC Chips B. Malroy quoted: "Including ads and other promotions by wireless operators and handset makers, as well as the marketing activities of other partners around the world, the total expenditures for launching Windows Phone 7 could run into the "billions," Goldberg told InternetNews.com, relaying information that he said he heard recently from company executives."

"[I]t's costly convincing people to buy stuff they don't want," FurnaceBoy explained. Here is the headline which says: "Microsoft to Spend 'Billions' on Windows Phone 7?"

"Ballmer isn't going to go out without a fight," Chips B. Malroy wrote, "possible billions, he is crazy.

"Ballmer did say he would bury Google? or was it kill Google? Well it looks like Google will get the better of him."

One Apple site chooses the more conservative figures: "Microsoft to spend over $500m to catch up to iPhone, Android"

Mary Jo Foley says it's maybe more than a billion (depending on how it's measured). The Guardian asks, "Microsoft to spend billions on Windows Phone 7: what chance of payback?" Either way, regardless of the exact numbers, "Microsoft faces heavy costs to make WinPhone 7 competitive with iPhone," as one article put it (it left out other competitors like Linux from the headline).

Henry Blodget publishes [1, 2] the item titled "Let's Be Honest: Microsoft's Mobile Business Is a Fantasy" (some numbers validated here).

“Vista Phone 7 has everything it takes to never take off.”Microsoft is likely to see it debt grow because of marketing expenditures at the very least. Some circles of the press are already bombarded with puff pieces (news about nothing). Compare that to just two Zune clusters of headlines in two whole weeks of news (Mary Jo Microsoft el al. spreading rumours to create hype [1, 2, 3]) and recall what little "KIN" marketing managed to achieve, apart from alienating Windows partners, who are made irate when Microsoft overrides their hardware business (selling hardware along with Windows, maybe Xbox this time).

Vista Phone 7 has everything it takes to never take off. It's a case of too little, too late. Applications and games are not compatible with this platform, which starts almost from zero and has no compelling features, let alone support from principal partners like Samsung.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Backlash and Negative Press After Microsoft Tells Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) People to DIE
Follow-up stories
Censorship as Signal of Opportunity for Reform
It remains sad and ironic that Wikileaks outsourced so much of its official communications to Twitter (now X)
The World Wide Web Has Been Rotting for Years (Quality, Accuracy, and Depth Consistently Decreasing)
In the past people said that the Web had both "good" and "bad" and that the good outweighed the bad
Comoros: Windows Plunges to Record Low of About 6% in Country of a Million People (in 2010 Windows Was 100%)
Many of these people earn a few dollars a day; they don't care for Microsoft's "Hey Hi PC" hype
The Mail (MX) Server Survey for July 2024 Shows Microsoft Collapsing to Only 689 Servers or 0.17% of the Whole (It Used to be About 25%)
Microsoft became so insignificant and the most astounding thing is how the media deliberate ignores it or refuses to cover it
Windows Down From 98.5% to 22.9% in Hungary
Android is up because more people buy smaller mobile devices than laptops
Microsoft Windows in Algeria: From 100% to Less Than 15%
Notice that not too long ago Windows was measured at 100%. Now? Not even 15%.
Microsoft Windows "Market Share" in New Zealand Plunges to 25%
Android rising
SUSE Goes Aryan: You May Not Use the Germanic Brand Anymore (It's Monopolised by the Corporation)
Worse than grammar Nazis
Gratis But Not Free as in Freedom: How Let's Encrypt is Dying in Geminispace
Let's Encrypt is somewhat of a dying breed where the misguided CA model is shunned
 
Microsoft's Bing Falls to Fourth in the Europe/Asia-Based Turkey, Share Halved Since LLM Hype, Now Only 1% (Sometimes Less)
Turkey (Eurasia) is another example of Microsoft failing with LLM hype and just burning a lot of energy in vain (investment without returns)
Red Hat Keeps Behaving Like a Microsoft Reseller (for Proprietary Stuff!), Microsoft Employees as Authors in redhat.com
In some ways this reminds us of Novell
UEFI 'Secure Boot' Once Again Bricking PCs and Fake Security Models Are Perishing in Geminispace
Let's Encrypt has just fallen again
Links 17/07/2024: New Attacks on the Press, European Patents Squashed Even at Kangaroo Court (UPC)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/07/2024: Proponents of Censorship and New Arrivals at Gemini
Links for the day
Links 17/07/2024: School Budget Meltdown and Modern Cars as Tracking Nightmares
Links for the day
This Should Certainly be Illegal, But the Person Who Helped Microsoft Do This is Still Attacking the Critics of It
perhaps time for an "I told you so post"
[Meme] A Computer With an Extra Key on the Keyboard Isn't Everyone's Priority
(so your telling me meme)
Africa as an Important Reminder That Eradicating Microsoft Doesn't Go Far Enough
Ideally, if our top goal is bigger than "get rid of Microsoft", we need to teach people to choose and use devices that obey them, not GAFAM
Billions of Computers Run Linux and Many Use Debian (or a Derivative of It)
many devices never get updated or even communicate with the Net, so exhaustive tallies are infeasible
[Meme] Microsoft is Firing
Don't worry, Microsoft will have some new vapourware coming soon
More DEI (or Similar) Layoffs on the Way, According to Microsoft Team Leader
What happened shortly before Independence Day wasn't the end of it, apparently
[Meme] Many Volunteers Now Realise the "Open" in "OpenSUSE" or "openSUSE" Was Labour-Mining
Back to coding, packaging and testing, slaves
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 16, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 16, 2024
[Meme] Ein Factory
A choice between "masters" (or "master race") is a false choice that results in mass exploitation and ultimately eradication (when there's little left to exploit)
Links 17/07/2024: Open Source Initiative Lies and Dark Net Thoughts
Links for the day
Media Distorting Truth to Promote Ignorance
online media is rapidly collapsing
Android Rises to New Highs of Almost 80% in Cameroon
How many dozens of nations will see Windows at under 10% this coming winter?
Links 16/07/2024: TikTok Ban in Europe and Yandex Split
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/07/2024: On Packrafting and on Trump Shot
Links for the day
[Meme] Firefox Users Who Think They Know Better Than Mozilla
Enjoy Firebook
Firefox Used to Have About Half the Market in Switzerland, But It Doesn't Stand a Chance Anymore (Chrome Surging This Summer)
Mozilla has managed to alienate some of the biggest fans of Firefox
Microsoft's Biggest Losses Are in Europe This Summer
Microsoft's ability to milk a relatively rich Europe is fast diminishing
How to Make Software Suck and Discriminate Against People at the Same Time
ageism glorified
Bing Was at 2.6% in Russia When LLM Hype Started. Now It's Down to 0.8% (for 3 Months in a Row Already)
The sharp fall of Bing may mean that exiting the Russian market won't matter to anybody
[Meme] Microsoft Seems to be Failing to Comply With WARN Act (by Refusing to Announce Mass Layoffs as They Happen)
since when does Microsoft obey the law anyway?
Microsoft Layoffs Are Still Too Frequent to Keep Abreast of and Properly (or Exhaustively) Classify
The "HR" department knows what's happening, but whistleblowers from there are rare
Bahamas Joined the "5% Windows" Club
statCounter only traces back about 1 in 20 Web requests to Windows
Links 16/07/2024: Salesforce Layoffs and Microsoft's DMARC Fail
Links for the day
Antenna Abuse and Gemini Abuse (Self-hosting Perils)
Perhaps all this junk is a sign of Gemini growing up
Possibly Worse Than Bribes: US Politicians and Lawmakers Who Are Microsoft Shareholders
They will keep bailing out Microsoft to bail themselves out
The Software Freedom Conservancy Folks Don't Even Believe in Free Speech and They Act As Imposters (Also in the Trademark Arena/Sense)
Software Freedom Conservancy was already establishing a reputation for itself as a G(I)AFAM censor/gatekeeper
Djibouti Enters the Windows "10% Club" (Windows Was 99% in 2010)
In Africa in general Microsoft lost control
GNU/Linux Share Doubled in the United States of America (USA) in the Past 12 Months
Or so says statCounter
Even in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic Of Korea) Google Said to Dominate, Microsoft Around 1%
Google at 93.26%
[Meme] The Red Bait (Embrace... Extinguish)
They set centos on fire, then offer a (de facto) proprietary substitute for a fee
Shooting the Messenger to Spite the Message
segment of a Noam Chomsky talk
[Video] Boston Area Assange Defense (Yesterday)
It was published only hours ago
Guinea: Windows Down From 99.3% to 2.7% 'Market Share'
Guinea is not a small country
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 15, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, July 15, 2024
What's Meant by "Antenna Abuse" (Gemini)
syndication is not a monopoly in Gemini and if one doesn't condone political censorship, then one can create one's own syndication service/capsule
Microsoft Layoffs and Entire Unit Termination: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
What an announcement to make just before Independence Day
Links 16/07/2024: Old Computer Challenge and One Page Dungeon Contest
Links for the day
Microsoft Falls Further and Closer Towards 10% (Windows "Market Share") in Kuwait
more countries entering the "single-digit Windows" (under 10%) club
Gemini Links 15/07/2024: Antenna's Pro-Hamas Bias Revisited and Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day
[Video] Julian Assange, Over One Decade Ago, Cautioning About What the Internet Had Truly Become
video is not new
Homage to Malta
Malta is probably easy for Microsoft to bribe
IRC at 16
Logging has been used for us and against us
In Malta, Android/Linux Has Overtaken Microsoft Windows (According to statCounter)
statCounter milestone?
Links 15/07/2024: China’s Economic Problems, Boeing Under Fire
Links for the day
500 Days' Uptime Very Soon
Good luck doing that with Windows...
Windows Falls Below 20% in Tunisia
A month ago we wrote about GNU/Linux in Tunisia
Links 15/07/2024: Google Wants Wiz and Why "Sports Ruin Everything"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/07/2024: Old Computer Challenge and Sending Files via NNCP
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 14, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, July 14, 2024