MS: Windows Mobile 7 not just evolutionary, to “set the bar forward”
Some more interesting tidbits on Windows Mobile 7 from Robbie Bach (head of the Microsoft division in charge of Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile) at CES yesterday (transcribed here, see the full webcast here):
I think the number one thing we have to do on Windows Mobile going forward is about the experience people have with phones. I don’t think we have a business model problem per-say, I don’t think we have to outstanding challenge outside of the fact that our experience is very skewed towards business users as is not as modern as it needs to be and doesn’t feel straightforward.
So the challenge for us as we come in to 2010, we are going to have new things that we will talk about at Mobile World Congress […] The first bar people should look at will “Wow the are doing a great job with the product!” and when you look at the product; and I’m quite confident. I have the luxury of having seen it and play with it a little bit. People are going to see something that’s differentiated and something that sets the bar forward. Not in an evolutionary way compared to where we are today but something that feels, look, act and performs completely different.
In the interest of competition, let’s hope Microsoft finally understands what it needs to do to turn Windows Mobile from a stodgy, outdated business OS into a consumer-oriented platform ready to directly take on Android, WebOS, and the iPhone.