Microsoft Readies Secret iPhone Killer
2010-01-20 09:33 by Daniela
Tags: Microsoft, Zune, HTC
Just as Google partnered with hardware vendor HTC to launch the Nexus One, Microsoft is working with a handset maker to launch its own smartphone, says Katherine Egbert, an analyst with Jefferies. This seems to be the "Pink" project Microsoft has been working on for a while, likely including the remains of Danger, the Sidekick maker it bought. AllThingsD's John Paczkowski wrote up a note Katherine sent to clients: "Our recent industry checks indicate Microsoft will be debuting its own phone sometime in the next two months," Egbert writes. "We expect the new phone to debut soon, at either the Feb 15-18 Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona Spain, or possibly at CTIA in Las Vegas one month later." The device — "a Zune-like phone" according to Egbert –is likely result of an OEM partnership similar to the Google (GOOG) -HTC alliance that produced the Nexus One. She believes it will boast a 5 megapixel camera and support 720p HD video and some music subscription/purchasing scheme. Beyond that, Egbert is at a loss. "We don’t have any information about the cost of the Pink phone, nor do we know what service providers might be partnered with Microsoft," she explains. "Revenue from the phone is also very unlikely to be meaningful for many years. However, the new phone might explain why Microsoft has allowed WinMo to dwindle to <10% mobile OS market share. Pink would be the 'third screen' (after Windows and Xbox) and final component in Microsoft's "3 screens and a cloud" strategy." Read more -here-
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