Setting The Record Straight on Windows Mobile

As we all know, Microsoft will be releasing this month its latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system.  With that, the web and blogosphere is all atwitter (all puns intended) about what Microsoft is doing, plans on doing or should be doing to improve its maligned mobile OS.  Much of the commentary is accretive to the debate (sorry, I had to throw in a big word), but there is a small minority that does a disservice to the debate.  I found one such article yesterday on eWeek.

Now let me start by saying very clearly that I too believe Microsoft has much to do to improve its mobile experience.  I've commented most recently about it here and here.  Heck, even Steve Ballmer agrees with me.  However, the article penned by Don Reisinger could, in my opinion, be far more accurate.  Let's hit some of the key points:

1. "Commit to touch":  Wow.  I don't even know what to say to this one.  Did he speak to my good friend Jack Gold? (note: Jack really is a good friend of mine, we just don't see eye to eye on some topics)  This kind of comment from Mr. Reisinger does no one any good.  Microsoft has had touch screens for ages.  Now, when he says "commit," if he were to mean ONLY do touch screen, I'd be OK with it, but he's insinuating that Windows Mobile can't do touch screen and that's just wrong.
2. "Consider open source":  Why?  What does this do?  Just because Android has done it does not mean it is a good idea.  Linux was a huge potential threat to Windows because it was open source and Microsoft has done just fine on that front.  The other most successful open source drive is Firefox.  There, I'll argue the biggest reason it has done so well is because Microsoft failed to innovate for years on the browser (sound familiar?)
3. "Focus on an app store":  Focus?  There are tons of apps for Windows Mobile.  The only thing the App Store will do for Microsoft is bring them all together in one place.  Now that's not a bad thing per se, but I don't think the focus should be there.  Instead, I say focus on creating a great user experience.
4. "Ensure reliability":  OK, this is a bit of a Captain Obvious statement.  Now, there's no question that Windows Mobile does freeze up, but my iPhone also does so several times A DAY...and by the way, I can't pull out the battery on my iPhone to reboot.  (Instead, I use the tried and true, slam it on the table option and curse at it rebooting method)
5. "Remember intuition":  Again, thanks Captain.  Windows Mobile is not intuitive.  Neither is Symbian nor BlackBerry (to me).  The fact of the matter is, ALL mobile platforms recognize (thanks to Apple) that they need to do a far better job of making the user experience simple yet powerful.  I've already told our Redmondian friends what they should do.
6. "Forget everything you know about Windows Mobile": I completely disagree.  Microsoft's greatest asset in mobile is the fact that it could tie it so well to its desktop and server experiences.  In fairness, it has done a rather poor job of it historically, but if you believe in the concept of The Third Screen, then Microsoft would be well served to leverage the Windows ethos.  Besides, if you agree that smartphones are not phones but micro computers, then you'd think Microsoft knew a thing or two about that space.
7. "Don't forget the enterprise":  Really?  I don't quite know how to comment on that one.
8. "Focus on the keyboard":  Mr. Reisinger says "one of the places where Microsoft can trump Apple is on the virtual keyboard."  100% agreed.  It's called a PHYSICAL keyboard.  Windows Mobile devices have had that since forever.
9. "Simplicity is OK":  Again, 100% agreed.  But to say it should be as simple as the iPhone is not productive either.  The spirit is correct, but the iPhone is too "simple" in my opinion.  It's excellent...nay, AMAZING, at what it does.  Too bad it's so inflexible.
10. "Learn from Apple":  Yes...and learn from Google, and Palm and BlackBerry, and Symbian, and ANYWHERE else you can.  None of the players have the market cornered on good ideas.  Microsoft has learned from Apple in the past for Windows, and Apple has also learned FROM Windows.  Heck, allegedly Sergey Brin blew a gasket when he saw Bing.

Ok - I went point by point on the article...I wasn't planning on doing that.

My main message however is that while Microsoft has much it needs to improve with Windows Mobile...at so many levels...let's at least have a constructive, accretive (there's the big word again) discussion.  The mobile world needs Windows Mobile...if only as a means to force innovation from all the other platforms.  Now Microsoft needs to step up to the plate and innovate on its own.  We'll see what it does with Windows Mobile 7.