Microsoft Reportedly Developing Own Smartphone

By Wolfgang Gruener
published

Tablets may not remain the only new hardware category Microsoft is interested in.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is currently testing components for a smartphone. There is no confirmation whether the testing will result in an actual mass-produced product, but - if the information is correct - this may be yet another sign that Microsoft is moving closer to Apple's product strategy.

During the launch of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft neither confirmed nor denied speculation that the company is working on a smartphone. The company stated that it is happy that Nokia, Samsung and HTC expect to be offering Windows Phone 8 devices by the end of the year and declined to comment on questions about a Microsoft phone. According to IDC, Windows Phone currently holds only 2.0 percent of the smartphone market with an estimated 3.6 million devices that shipped in the third quarter - compared to 136.0 million Android phones.

It does not take much insight to conclude that Windows Phone has not had the impact Microsoft is hoping for and there is more concern about its relationship with Nokia. So far, Nokia has not shown the determination and innovation that would be required to turn Windows Phone around. Surface is a demonstration of Microsoft that the company is not going to wait for compelling products from its partners. If Nokia cannot follow through with a breakthrough Windows Phone device, a device designed by Microsoft that is capable of better capturing the strengths of the operating system may turn out to be catastrophic for Nokia, whose entire product strategy is focused on Windows Phone with no backup plan in place.

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Wolfgang Gruener
24 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sonofliberty08
    when M$ said they will do more on hardware, it meant to be they will hv their own smartphones, tablets, ultrathin laptops like the crApple
    Reply
  • abbadon_34
    just stick with OS developement that keeps out beloved XP interface and makes behind the scenes improvements like Win7 so we can run the newest and fast hardware
    Reply
  • mrmez
    Taking bets that it will tank like their last phone.
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    Nokia has not shown the determination and innovation that would be required to turn Windows Phone around.
    Nokia only staked their entire future on it. Apparently that's not enough commitment for some people.
    Reply
  • lunyone
    Well if they wouldn't limit themselves to AT&T for the Lumia 920 then they would probably have more people buying them (I'm with Verizon). I would buy the Lumia 920, but since it's not on Verizon, I don't have that option (not changing to AT&T).
    Reply
  • falchard
    If I was a Microsoft OEM I would not be too concerned considering their hardware efforts thus far in the Surface and XBox360. They choose to go with subpar parts, so it leaves an opening for companies that release adaquete devices.
    Reply
  • memadmax
    "If you want the job done right, you gotta do it yourself"
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    everyone makes the comparison with Apple, but I find that comparison rather flawed. In my mind it is more like the way Sony use to be when it had a cohesive product line (yes, it has been a while, but they did almost have one back in the '90s), where you wanted to have the matched set of the TV, receiver, radio, CD player, DVD player, speakers, etc. And when you stuck with the Sony brand then you would have special features, such as the receiver controlling the other devices. But if you got something of another brand, those products worked just fine with your other Sony branded equipment.

    I think that MS is moving in that same sort of direction, saying that 'this is the way we think hardware should be', and it all works together with the 'full expierence'. But if you purchase a product from someone else, it will integrate just fine with the other parts. Even if you move to a different ecosystem, such as Android or OSX you can still link certain aspects which are software agnostic services, and get by just fine in life. It is not the total experience, but it is still functional.

    In this case you will have the WP8 Surface, Surface tablet, and the Nextbox as their desktop PC replacement. All 3 devices share the same basic OS at their heart, and all work together, but they are not a closed group of hardware like apple products tend to be. You can install smartglass on your other branded phone, and have it work with your xBox or nextbox. You can network your macbook and have access to your network files, etc. Where as in apple land you cannot have a PC read files from your apple network, and it can be a pain to sync data between your android phone and iMac, etc.

    At any rate, in the end Sony tried to close the system and become exclusive, and failed miserably (at first because they could not get departments to work together, and later because of QC issues). And most other companies who have closed the loop entirely have simply been abandoned and left for dead. MS knows this, and they know that they are not Apple, and could never get away with what apple has done. And with more crap products like we see with the new iMac and iPad mini I doubt it will be long that Apple can remain being Apple as well... but maybe it is just a growing pain they will move past.
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    lunyoneWell if they wouldn't limit themselves to AT&T for the Lumia 920 then they would probably have more people buying them (I'm with Verizon). I would buy the Lumia 920, but since it's not on Verizon, I don't have that option (not changing to AT&T).I read today that the exclusivity deal is only for 6mo, so you will be able to get one before too long. Also, there will supposedly be a refresh next spring/summer which will bring some better phones that could be available for other markets. Nokia is in no position to supply enough phones to meet demand for all networks. They need a solid success on this one to be able to fund the production needed to do a total launch.
    Reply
  • ojas
    lunyoneWell if they wouldn't limit themselves to AT&T for the Lumia 920 then they would probably have more people buying them (I'm with Verizon). I would buy the Lumia 920, but since it's not on Verizon, I don't have that option (not changing to AT&T).There was something i read about a particular service that was carrier dependent, and only AT&T was ready for it.

    Anyway, all i'm concluding is that it won't launch in my country too soon, since we don't have much of this carrier locking thing.
    Reply