Windows Mobile on Fewer Devices in the Future

Microsoft is reported to plan releasing less devices running its OS

According to the latest news on the Web, Microsoft VP of Windows Mobile Todd Peters stated in an interview with New York Times that the Redmond company intended to lower the number of Windows Mobile handsets that would be slated for release in the future. Despite this saying, some voices around would rather consider that the interest in the giant's software solution is somehow fading out.

“I’d rather have fewer devices and be more focused,” Todd Peters is reported to have explained. This would somehow mean that there will be better integration between the device and its operating system. Even if things turn out this way, shareholders might not be too happy with the move. One reason that is supposed to drive Microsoft to such a tactic is suggested to be the crowding of the market with open source OSs.

On the other hand, Microsoft’s OS is getting a little old, and it might not have the same competitive power as it did in the past. As many of you know, today we have the rather more appealing Android or Symbian operating systems. Moreover, developers seem more attracted by low-cost open solutions, which are able to deliver user-friendly interfaces and prove better developing environments.

As the industry advances, Windows Mobile 7 will have to prove itself, especially considering that the OS' market share is diminishing. If it will be able to be competitive, Microsoft will surely be happier to see as many Windows Mobile-powered devices as possible, rather than reducing their number, although Todd Peters' statement says otherwise.

A reduction in the number of Windows Mobile handsets that would be released in the future will certainly not be based on the software giant asking manufacturers to not release such phones. The more possible reason would be a switch in the makers' focus towards more usable operating systems for its handsets.

Todd Peters has also revealed that the company will make a major announcement at the Mobile World Congress, the trade show that is due to take place next month in Barcelona.