Windows Phone Plan "B"
As usual, my twitter feed fed me some interesting stuff to think on.
The original article is pure speculation, and mine is speculation on speculation... so meta-speculation I guess. But it does make the notion of a Surface Phone a little more feasible. I hadn't thought about this approach because it would be as the article states a huge disturbance in the industry.
I still stand by my original points... even if they went down this path, they are basically sacrificing their OEM's. But not only that, they would be competing with carriers as well. Also, being an MVNO is an interesting place to be since you are basically leasing network access from your competitors as it would still be the carriers that actually owned the networks.
But the interesting part of this proposition is that by removing the carriers from the equation it could also open up new ways to subsidize or discount the hardware. Another benefit of cutting out the carrier is the ability to deliver updates on your own schedule, which would be a positive PR move. Also, since my original post Microsoft has more or less formally decided that they are no longer a software company and now a "Devices and Services" company which also makes this a little more realistic.
However, this would still be a huge gamble. Google has only ever talked about such a move and even Apple has never made such a bold move. That is why this only makes sense as a Plan B. If the Nokia, HTC and other WP8 end up being a success, then you would be shooting others in the foot who are making money for you. My original thought was that if Windows Phone 8 failed Microsoft would basically be doomed in mobile... but if this were also Microsoft's Plan B then I would say that they go from doomed to having a chance if WP8 fails initially.
So, if we assume that there is any incidental accuracy in the speculation on the part of the original post where does that leave a Surface phone? Well, if the first wave of devices are a success, it means you may never hear about this device. But if WP8 is seen as a significant enough failure then this would give them a chance to change the rules of the game and perhaps make Apple and Google look like the slow and unoriginal ones.
But, all of this is speculation. And to top it off, to date Microsoft has never been truly successful out of the gate when releasing their own hardware. Even the now dominant Xbox 360 suffered from a very slow adoption rate. A fact which take a bit of the winds out of the sails on this, since it means not only a new hardware release, but also a new way of delivering hardware. But good food for thought.
The original article is pure speculation, and mine is speculation on speculation... so meta-speculation I guess. But it does make the notion of a Surface Phone a little more feasible. I hadn't thought about this approach because it would be as the article states a huge disturbance in the industry.
I still stand by my original points... even if they went down this path, they are basically sacrificing their OEM's. But not only that, they would be competing with carriers as well. Also, being an MVNO is an interesting place to be since you are basically leasing network access from your competitors as it would still be the carriers that actually owned the networks.
But the interesting part of this proposition is that by removing the carriers from the equation it could also open up new ways to subsidize or discount the hardware. Another benefit of cutting out the carrier is the ability to deliver updates on your own schedule, which would be a positive PR move. Also, since my original post Microsoft has more or less formally decided that they are no longer a software company and now a "Devices and Services" company which also makes this a little more realistic.
However, this would still be a huge gamble. Google has only ever talked about such a move and even Apple has never made such a bold move. That is why this only makes sense as a Plan B. If the Nokia, HTC and other WP8 end up being a success, then you would be shooting others in the foot who are making money for you. My original thought was that if Windows Phone 8 failed Microsoft would basically be doomed in mobile... but if this were also Microsoft's Plan B then I would say that they go from doomed to having a chance if WP8 fails initially.
So, if we assume that there is any incidental accuracy in the speculation on the part of the original post where does that leave a Surface phone? Well, if the first wave of devices are a success, it means you may never hear about this device. But if WP8 is seen as a significant enough failure then this would give them a chance to change the rules of the game and perhaps make Apple and Google look like the slow and unoriginal ones.
But, all of this is speculation. And to top it off, to date Microsoft has never been truly successful out of the gate when releasing their own hardware. Even the now dominant Xbox 360 suffered from a very slow adoption rate. A fact which take a bit of the winds out of the sails on this, since it means not only a new hardware release, but also a new way of delivering hardware. But good food for thought.
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