Windows Mobile 7 delayed AGAIN!!!

[Magoo_215]

Seems like WM news is never any good news anymore...

http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/...-delayed-again

While most Windows Mobile users may be eagerly awaiting the release of Windows Mobile 6.5, which has been promised as a free upgrade by a number of handset manufacturers, I think that everyone is aware that it's something of a stop gap to tide us over until Windows Mobile 7.
However, as reported on MoDaCo and Digitimes it looks like Microsoft are going to adopt some kind of two-tier approach to the WinMo OS. Windows Mobile 6.5 wont be dropped when 7 comes to market but will instead be dropped in price so that it may be used on lower-end handsets while Windows Mobile 7 will be top-tier.
The final death blow though has to be in the news that Windows Mobile 7 has had its anticipated launch date pushed back again and is now looking at a Q4 2010 release date! This simply begs the questions WHY? With so many other OS options out there now why would anyone hang on for over a year for the latest and greatest WinMo OS? With Android and iPhone handsets becoming ever more popular and ever more viable alternatives to WinMo surely this is the worst thing that Microsoft could do to their OS?
Microsoft is expected to officially launch Windows Mobile 6.5 on October 1, 2009 and add an upgrade version with a touch interface in February 2010, the sources indicated citing Microsoft roadmap.
Microsoft will not phase out Windows Mobile 6.5 from the market but will lower the OS price, when it launches Windows Mobile 7 scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2010, the sources added.

[breakmyfootoff]

Well, it's not good news, but it has solidified my decision to go ahead and upgrade now instead of waiting for the WM7 handsets.

[Magoo_215]

http://mashable.com/2009/08/20/windows-mobile-strategy/

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Strategy: Too Much, Too Late?

Digitimes has a report on an alleged roadmap for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform. It seems that the Redmond giant has opted for a dual approach: they will release Windows Mobile 6.5, then upgrade it, and keep it alive even after Windows Mobile 7 arrives in late 2010. One cannot help but wonder how this approach will help the aging WinMo platform keep up with iPhone OS and Android, and my guess is: it won’t.
According to Digitimes, Microsoft will launch Windows Mobile 6.5 in October 2009 (it’s a tad late; it was supposed to arrive in September), but that actually won’t be the really good Windows Mobile 6.5 we’d like to see. A crucial feature – touch interface, which most of the competitors, such as HTC Hero, Apple’s iPhone and Palm Pre have already perfected – is allegedly coming later, in February 2010. Finally, Windows Mobile 7 will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Now, let’s compare this to some facts we know about the competition. It’s quite likely that Apple will have another iPhone before the end of 2010; since they usually release new iPhones at the beginning of summer, they’ll even have time to work out its kinks by the end of the year. Palm may launch another WebOS based phone, the Pixie (or Eos, if you will) by then. And we can expect 18 or more new Android-based handsets by the end of this year.
In addition to being late, Microsoft will have the disadvantage of not being uniform. Developers and manufacturers will have to decide whether they’ll work with Windows Mobile 6.5 or 7.0, and many of them might simply switch to another platform. If Microsoft wants to restore Windows Mobile’s former glory, they’ll have to deliver something really extraordinary with Windows Mobile 6.5’s touch interface, and Windows Mobile 7.0 in general. Whether they’re really capable of that remains to be seen.

[agentjonnyb]

It's just as I feared...I'm getting a Pre till then, and will stick with it and not go back to WM till the first Tegra-based WM device with 1080p output is released...

[BenC]

Dang shame the other OS guys do not provide the functionality/compatibility of Word and Excel along with a good database.

[TnA-2xXtReM]

Now a lot of people will jump onto the TP2 bandwagon now

[Noir]

already been posted
we know it won't be released til Q4 of 2010...and we all cried =_=
but the strategy is actually pretty smart
being blunt NOT many handsets can even support windows mobile 7. I think microsoft wants the hardware to catch up and it makes a lot of sense all things considered

[boredandtattooed]

i dont see the fuss...

6.1 was suppose to be holding us over till 6.5.... 6.1 dropped summer of 07 and still no 6.5... so why is it everyone thinks WM7 should be dropping anywhere near the 6.5 release....


and their wont be a WM7.... there wont be a Windows Mobile period.... MS is ending that and releasing their own devices, remember???? you gotta remember just because youve been playing with 6.5 for 6 months already 95% of the world has no clue... end of 2010 wouldnt suprise me at all, if indeed we do get an upgrade past 6.5...

my GUESS is that MS will debut their new product line with what was suppose to our WM7....

[smoove21]

Originally Posted by boredandtattooed

i dont see the fuss...

6.1 was suppose to be holding us over till 6.5.... 6.1 dropped summer of 07 and still no 6.5... so why is it everyone thinks WM7 should be dropping anywhere near the 6.5 release....


and their wont be a WM7.... there wont be a Windows Mobile period.... MS is ending that and releasing their own devices, remember???? you gotta remember just because youve been playing with 6.5 for 6 months already 95% of the world has no clue... end of 2010 wouldnt suprise me at all, if indeed we do get an upgrade past 6.5...

my GUESS is that MS will debut their new product line with what was suppose to our WM7....

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.

[frazell]

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.

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...