Smartphone Manufacturer HTC Dragged Down by Windows Mobile?
We here at Observer Publishing won’t hide the fact that we’re Windows Mobile fanboys. While the iPhone is a pretty little thing, we’d rather endure some of the clunkiness of Windows Mobile and get features such as multi-tasking, slide out keyboards and the ability to use our phones as computer models (tethering).
A couple weeks ago, Microsoft officially released its Windows Mobile 6.5 (now Windows Phone) with AT&T and other carriers featuring the HTC Touch Pro as their ‘hero’ device. For those unaware, Taiwan based HTC is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
However, all does not seem to be happy in the HTC / Microsoft relationship. As mentioned in this Business Week article, HTC’s profits are slowing and the company, as with much of the industry sees the Google Android operating system for smartphones as a strong route to profitability. Press leaks suggest that a copy of Windows Mobile is between 15 and 25 of the cost of a smartphone. The elimination of those costs by switching to Android is a big incentive to either increase profits or fuel a pricewar among manufacturers. Add that the new Android 2.0 operating system has much of the glitz seen in the iPhone OS, and Microsoft has a big challenge on its hands to keep Windows Mobile relevant.
