Friday, November 21, 2003
Microsoft On The Pocket PC
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "THOUGHT" @ 06:00 AM
Earlier this week, Jason started a thread on Microsoft's CTO touting a Blackberry device based on a CNet News article. Of course, some take this opportunity to jump up and down and go "See! See! Microsoft isn't committed to the Pocket PC!" :roll:
Microsoft didn't get where it is today by ignoring the competition. They also have around 50,000 employees world wide, so you have to assume that some of their employees are using competing products. I know, shocking as it may seem, they are people with their own minds, likes, interests and preferences in technology. I hear a few of them even use Macs! 8O That their CTO is using a Blackberry shouldn't be a big surprise. It doesn't mean the Pocket PC is on the way out anymore than it means the Smartphone is dead, or that MS is considering killing the Pocket PC in favor of the Smartphone.
So is MS committed to the Pocket PC? Well, in one of the threads discussing this topic, Derek Brown, Director of Global Marketing Communications, Mobile Devices Division (clearly the Mobile Device group likes really long names ;) ) steps in with some of his thoughts on the subject.
That is the key. Will there be any PDA around in 4-5 years that resembles today's devices? There certainly won't be any disconnected ones, other than cheap $15 units next to $5 solar calculators at Wal-Mart. Today there are very few Pocket PCs sold that don't have some form of connectivity and none that aren't capable of getting connected with a common expansion card. As features like connectivity converge, form factors will evolve. Will we be walking around with iPAQ 1900 sized devices in our pocket and wireless headsets utilizing 100% voice commands - even transcription? A device like that could give you lots of info without you ever having to look at the screen. Will we have clamshell style phones with 2-3 inch screens and slide out QWERTY thumb boards? I don't know. Microsoft is, however, sticking to their vision. They decided in the late 90's that rich features, applications and portable computing was the future. They were a bit ahead of the hardware at the time, but today, their vision has proven to be the right one. Year after year, Microsoft's mobile device platform has been gaining market share and competitors have been scrambling to keep up. In some areas, they have passed MS. In others, they are still woefully behind. Microsoft is committed to mobile computing, plain and simple, be it Pocket PC, Smartphone or some as yet unnamed platform.
Microsoft didn't get where it is today by ignoring the competition. They also have around 50,000 employees world wide, so you have to assume that some of their employees are using competing products. I know, shocking as it may seem, they are people with their own minds, likes, interests and preferences in technology. I hear a few of them even use Macs! 8O That their CTO is using a Blackberry shouldn't be a big surprise. It doesn't mean the Pocket PC is on the way out anymore than it means the Smartphone is dead, or that MS is considering killing the Pocket PC in favor of the Smartphone.
So is MS committed to the Pocket PC? Well, in one of the threads discussing this topic, Derek Brown, Director of Global Marketing Communications, Mobile Devices Division (clearly the Mobile Device group likes really long names ;) ) steps in with some of his thoughts on the subject.
Quote: This isn't a situation where we're making a binary decision on Pocket PC versus Smartphone where to support one is de facto to not support the other. As much as possible we're working to accrue value to the Windows Mobile software platform. That's one reason why we updated the brand - so we had a clear unified brand for both these form factors so that among other things our marketing investment accrues value to both. Likewise in development we're organized around functions not the form factors. There is an Inbox team for instance that develops for both. We're trying to keep as much of the code common between the two as possible. When we improve Inbox it will be better for both device form factors - better for the Windows Mobile platform overall...On form factors over all. Today the form factors you see for Pocket PC and Smartphone are distinctly different. I suspect a couple years from not this will be much less so. I think of one as more data centric applications and input focused, the other more voice and one handed input focused but within this constraint I think the lines between these will be very gray. One of the reasons continued investment in the Pocket PC platform makes so much sense to us is to foster and grow this innovation. We think it's very important to have a more options.
That is the key. Will there be any PDA around in 4-5 years that resembles today's devices? There certainly won't be any disconnected ones, other than cheap $15 units next to $5 solar calculators at Wal-Mart. Today there are very few Pocket PCs sold that don't have some form of connectivity and none that aren't capable of getting connected with a common expansion card. As features like connectivity converge, form factors will evolve. Will we be walking around with iPAQ 1900 sized devices in our pocket and wireless headsets utilizing 100% voice commands - even transcription? A device like that could give you lots of info without you ever having to look at the screen. Will we have clamshell style phones with 2-3 inch screens and slide out QWERTY thumb boards? I don't know. Microsoft is, however, sticking to their vision. They decided in the late 90's that rich features, applications and portable computing was the future. They were a bit ahead of the hardware at the time, but today, their vision has proven to be the right one. Year after year, Microsoft's mobile device platform has been gaining market share and competitors have been scrambling to keep up. In some areas, they have passed MS. In others, they are still woefully behind. Microsoft is committed to mobile computing, plain and simple, be it Pocket PC, Smartphone or some as yet unnamed platform.
