Free Windows Phone OS
Well, the rumour, or quasi-rumour is that Microsoft has started giving away Windows Phone for free. I call this a quasi-rumour because it is all but confirmed, but also misleading. Publicly and officially, all we know is that 2 vendors of low end smart phones for India are getting it for free. This doesn't mean other OEM's are also getting it for free.
The amusing thing is this. This move would make Windows Phone cheaper than Android. Virtually every handset OEM these days has already signed a license agreement with Microsoft over patents Android infringes. So, while Google may not charge OEM's for a license, Microsoft charges them for every unit sold.
Which brings about another question. Can Microsoft really afford to give Windows Phone away globally for free? The reason you don't hear about patent infringement suits against Microsoft is that Microsoft actively engages in licensing technologies for others. They don't pretend that something as big and complex as a mobile OS can possibly come to life without infringing on the intellectual properties of others, so such cases rarely make it to the courts or the news. Because they rarely happen. Which means, it is highly likely that every license of Windows Phone they deliver likely costs them some amount of money.
That being said however, I think they need to do this globally with all partners anyway if they want Windows Phone to start taking market share from Android and iOS.
Windows Phone is slowly becoming old news. The interface which was once a radical departure from other smart phones has been aped on other platforms and is no longer new. They need to capture attention before the UI becomes old.
Also, free is a tantalizing proposition. I think that the notion of a dual-booting cell phone is idiotic. Phones don't come with terabyte hard drives built in. Most don't come with even 16GB of built in memory. The last thing I need is two OS's clogging up memory when I'll only ever be able to use one at a time. And I'd be unlikely to reboot my phone just to change to a different OS.
But, I think if I could flash either an Android or a Windows Phone ROM onto the phone easily enough, then that would present a real value. I could test drive one OS or the other for a time. This might actually entice a few people to switch. But more importantly, it means that next popular Android phone could be sold pre-configured for either OS, vastly increasing the hardware options for Windows Phone while not adding new costs to the OEM's either in terms of hardware design or licensing.
I think that this would bring more users to the platform that people actually flashing ROM's on their own. The average phone user is not only not comfortable with that sort of thing. They are downright paralyzed at the thought of doing something so "advanced". But, if I could buy a Windows Phone and the sales person assured me that I could switch to Android if I didn't like it, (even if they didn't explain how) the average person would be much more receptive. Heck, your local cell shop may even offer to flash the ROM's for a nominal charge.
I actually think that the possibility of a new billable service for carriers is the cherry on top. Carriers want your money. It might sound devious. But if carriers thought they had the right price point for ROM flashing, and thought people would absolutely hate Windows Phone, they just might push customers to try Windows Phone in the hopes of basically forcing them to come back and flash Android onto the phone. And this sort of shady tactic may very well succeed more than anything in winning more people over to Windows Phone. Many people will take the plunge because the option to go back to Android will be there, but won't actually get off their lazy butts and do anything about it. And many will probably like Windows Phone anyway.
The amusing thing is this. This move would make Windows Phone cheaper than Android. Virtually every handset OEM these days has already signed a license agreement with Microsoft over patents Android infringes. So, while Google may not charge OEM's for a license, Microsoft charges them for every unit sold.
Which brings about another question. Can Microsoft really afford to give Windows Phone away globally for free? The reason you don't hear about patent infringement suits against Microsoft is that Microsoft actively engages in licensing technologies for others. They don't pretend that something as big and complex as a mobile OS can possibly come to life without infringing on the intellectual properties of others, so such cases rarely make it to the courts or the news. Because they rarely happen. Which means, it is highly likely that every license of Windows Phone they deliver likely costs them some amount of money.
That being said however, I think they need to do this globally with all partners anyway if they want Windows Phone to start taking market share from Android and iOS.
Windows Phone is slowly becoming old news. The interface which was once a radical departure from other smart phones has been aped on other platforms and is no longer new. They need to capture attention before the UI becomes old.
Also, free is a tantalizing proposition. I think that the notion of a dual-booting cell phone is idiotic. Phones don't come with terabyte hard drives built in. Most don't come with even 16GB of built in memory. The last thing I need is two OS's clogging up memory when I'll only ever be able to use one at a time. And I'd be unlikely to reboot my phone just to change to a different OS.
But, I think if I could flash either an Android or a Windows Phone ROM onto the phone easily enough, then that would present a real value. I could test drive one OS or the other for a time. This might actually entice a few people to switch. But more importantly, it means that next popular Android phone could be sold pre-configured for either OS, vastly increasing the hardware options for Windows Phone while not adding new costs to the OEM's either in terms of hardware design or licensing.
I think that this would bring more users to the platform that people actually flashing ROM's on their own. The average phone user is not only not comfortable with that sort of thing. They are downright paralyzed at the thought of doing something so "advanced". But, if I could buy a Windows Phone and the sales person assured me that I could switch to Android if I didn't like it, (even if they didn't explain how) the average person would be much more receptive. Heck, your local cell shop may even offer to flash the ROM's for a nominal charge.
I actually think that the possibility of a new billable service for carriers is the cherry on top. Carriers want your money. It might sound devious. But if carriers thought they had the right price point for ROM flashing, and thought people would absolutely hate Windows Phone, they just might push customers to try Windows Phone in the hopes of basically forcing them to come back and flash Android onto the phone. And this sort of shady tactic may very well succeed more than anything in winning more people over to Windows Phone. Many people will take the plunge because the option to go back to Android will be there, but won't actually get off their lazy butts and do anything about it. And many will probably like Windows Phone anyway.
Comments
Post a Comment