It's becoming obvious that Microsoft Corp. officials, including CEO Steve Ballmer, wish Windows Mobile were a better mobile operating system.
Bloggers attending Microsoft's Venture Capital Summit reported today that Ballmer said Microsoft "screwed up with Windows Mobile" and changed the Windows Mobile team recently to try to recoup losses. Journalists were not attending, and Microsoft could not be reached to confirm Ballmer's comments, recorded by audience members using Twitter.
[ In other mobile news, Microsoft has shut down its Dynamics mobile ERP offering. ]
Venture capitalist Paul Jozefak's tweet from the event said that Ballmer wished Windows Mobile 7 had already launched, even as Windows Mobile 6.5 has not yet launched.
Version 6.5 is due out in October while version 7 is due next year, Ballmer and others have said.
Another tweet, from beninato , had Ballmer saying at the event that new talent is on the Windows Mobile team and vowing, "this won't happen again."
A Microsoft employee, Scott Rockfeld, recently confirmed via e-mail to Computerworld that he had moved recently from a top Windows Mobile position to director of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit. No reason was given.
Earlier this year, Ballmer told public sector CIO s that Windows Mobile 6.5 was not "the full release we wanted to have this year." His comment was made in response a question about how Microsoft planned to keep up with phone rivals, such as iPhone and Android.
Analysts have questioned whether there is a long future for Windows Mobile , especially after version 7, noting that it has not done that well in the market behind other operating systems running in the iPhone and others.
Microsoft officials could not be reached today to comment.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive InfoWorld Resource Alerts
29 Recommendations
