Core competence
It’s not so much that Microsoft has finally begun to fill the gaps in its offering compared with key rivals such as Apple and Google; it’s more that the company is finally making its core competence – namely software development and expertise – work for it in the form of a leverageable and scalable basis for multi-channel content and services.
In effect, what we’re seeing is Microsoft finally embracing the many benefits – in terms of user experience, developer experience and go-to-market strategy – of the managed device platform (MDP) approach. It’s certainly the response from Microsoft that Ovum has been waiting for and we’re promised more to come. (Watch out for tighter integration between multiple connected devices and cloud services too.)
Does this also mean that Microsoft is following Apple in imposing a more proscriptive view of its platform(s) on its partners? The answer appears to be yes.
Microsoft told Ovum that customization of the UI in Windows Phone OS 7.0 will be extremely limited, seemingly in order to guarantee application and service compatibility between devices from different OEMs. This contrasts with its fairly neutral stance around Windows Mobile 6-6.5, where deep customization of the user experience by its OEM partners has become commonplace (e.g. HTC’s Sense).
While the practical benefits of doing so are numerous (and indeed the successful execution of the MDP approach is largely dictated by it), this approach may not find favor with confirmed Windows Phone OS 7.0 licensees, several of which have invested considerable time and money in adapting previous versions of Windows Mobile to the demands of the consumer market, notably in the development of complete UI replacements (e.g. HTC’s Sense).
Reducing the scope for OEMs to differentiate on user experience could yet lead to some defections from the core group of Windows Phone 7.0 licensees that Microsoft has stripped back to HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, HP, Dell, Garmin-Asus and Qualcomm. Then again, few will complain if Microsoft’s phone revolution helps them sell more units.