In the aftermath of Mobile World Congress, everyone will be discussing the inevitability of Microsoft’s mobility server triumph in the market. So I advise going back five years to February 2003 and the excitement over Microsoft getting its mobile phone accepted by T-Mobile.
The Microsoft smartphone scandal still rankles with many who worked for the long-forgotten UK startup, Sendo. The archives reveal allegations of skullduggery on a vast scale. Sendo partnered Microsoft to produce the first Windows mobile device, then HTC suddenly produced a similar product. A wounded Sendo then fell into the arms of Nokia, rather than go into administration.
The phone was a nice product in many ways, despite the Windows bloat. And there are some nice new designs emerging from that stable after this week’s party. But you cannot say Microsoft has been a success with phones.
There is a certain poison that occurs with some brand names. In mobile, the
Microsoft name is almost as terrifying as Qualcomm. Neither company has
succeeded in Europe, for terror of monopoly. If they get you into a position
where you have no choice but to buy their products, they will control what you
pay.
The market knows this and still it continues to look the other way when it sees
these giants coming.
