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Microsoft Reportedly Working On Its Own Smartphone

According to a (paywalled) report in the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is experimenting with its own smartphone design. "Officials at some of Microsoft's parts suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Redmond, Wash.-based company is testing a smartphone design but isn't sure if a product will go into mass production." The article continues: "If Microsoft pushes ahead with its mobile phone, it would underscore how far Microsoft has moved away from its long-standing practice of making software and leaving decisions about design, features and marketing of the computing hardware to partners such as Hewlett-Packard or Samsung Electronics. ... As it does so, Microsoft pulls from a modified playbook of Apple—whose hardware-plus-software approach Microsoft officials long have scorned. ... Smartphones running Microsoft's two-year-old Windows Phone operating software for cellphones haven't sold well, and Microsoft may want to leave itself an option to test whether its own phone would spur sales."

5 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Re:MS killed the Nokia star by lobiusmoop · · Score: 5, Insightful
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    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
  2. In Other news by tuppe666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    LG is profitable again after dumping windows and focusing on Android.
    Asus have also having good fortune from Android Tablets.
    Sony after dumping Ericsson is profitable again with Android.

    Nokia gets burnt once with Windows Phone 8 incompatibilities
    Nokia gets thrown under a bus with the Surface tablet
    Nokia gets B*******d new Microsoft Phone

    Now I'm not saying Nokia should have gone Android...just that Android has a 75% share , and Nokia has well a share of what 2%

  3. Re:Every cult needs a villain by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whatever you may think of Apple, the fact is that Microsoft's notion of innovation now seems to be "Do what Apple does." At some point, if Microsoft continues down this path, it's going to weaken its OEM network, which is, at the end of the day, what made Microsoft the company it is today. Without all those manufacturers throwing MS's OEM products on new units, I'd say Microsoft's attempt to become Apple better work really damned well.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  4. Re:Microsoft product design by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apple has a problem with Android because Android is a major competitor. It has no problem with Microsoft because it does not foresee any point in the near future when Microsoft will be a major competitor.

    Getting hauled into court by Apple is a sign that you're on to something. Not getting hauled into court by Apple is a sign that you're probably going to fail.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  5. Re:MS killed the Nokia star by tuppe666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What's funny to me is that Elop went all-in on the Windows Phone strategy because he didn't want Nokia to be just another Android device maker. Now they're just another Windows Phone maker.

    The reasoning made no sense then. The weirder one was they didn't hedge there bets with something else, Android and Meego being the obvious choices.