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Originally Posted by smoove21
I completely agree. I started a thread awhile back with the required specs and story of microsoft releasing a phone of their own. Of course microsoft denies this but it would also make sense that 6.5 would be the os that other phone makers use while microsoft themselves develop their own brand to release with the new software. what other reason would you delay when its obvious the competition is catching up(in certain areas). Look we all know that no one else outside of RIM has the business aspect of mobile phones understood. So as long as the iphones and g1(2)s or whatever dont start cutting into that part of the pie microsoft knows they can take their time and finish developing the touch area of windows mobile.. This however doesnt mean im gonna hang around until then. Ive decided to get a pre and come back when windows "phone" 7 is released.
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Although Microsoft has made a major game shift like this before with the Zune offering. It isn't something they are accustomed to doing and I'm not convinced they will yet try it with Windows Mobile.
Microsoft as a company has expertise in software. They'll do whatever they can to keep their hands out of the hardware cookie jar and I'm a big fan of that. They just courted all these relationships with LG, Samsung, and other new Windows Mobile phone makers. If they release their own phone offering everyone, HTC included, would almost immediately drop the ball on Windows Mobile. They would be getting the short end of the stick. Microsoft would be their new competitor. If Microsoft does as you said and kept Windows Mobile 7 for itself and only gave its partners 6.5 the partners would REALLY feel betrayed.
Although for consumers it seems that Microsoft needs to come out with their own device and fight apple directly it isn't a logical move. Microsoft's solid strength is in the Business market. If they cut out HTC, LG, etc. they would need to start offering Windows Mobile devices in the myriad of form factors and designs that meet the needs of many diffierent companies. That would overwhelm them.
Keep in mind this consumer shift is new and everyone is learning how to pull it in. The problems are shared both sides. The iPhone is considered the god for the consumer as it does the few things it does in a simple manner that average people can grasp. It doesn't offer the configuration and complexity that a company needs from a Smartphone and as a result it isn't really penetrating the business market (that's why RIM was just named the fastest growing company in the world by Fortune even though the iPhone is killing RIM in the consumer space). The heavyweights like Microsoft and RIM on the other hand have been having a similar fight with their stuff being heavy in the business world and hard to transfer over to the consumer world.
What will end up happening, imho, is the smartphone OS world will segment much like the desktop world. There will end up being Consumer and Buisness OS editions...