I realize that big companies are fairly complex and therefore sometimes make decisions that look really stupid to the outside world but in reality are good decsions for the company. Todays decision by Microsoft I am sorry to say just looks like a bad one.
Microsoft launched their “social phone” called Kin about 2 months ago. Today they announced that they are killing the entire platform and merging it into their Windows Mobile 7 software group.
I actually liked the Kin and the overall idea of the platform. Microsoft’s reasoning for killing it is low demand but I would argue that they should have given it more time, instead of 6 weeks, something more like 2-3 years.
Not everything is a overnight success and there are so many examples of “dead” products becoming big wins, especially in Telecom. I really believe there is a market for a dead simple low range socially enabled mobile phone. With Microsoft’s bank account they should have spun this group out of the company, given them 3 years of cash to survive and seen if anything could happen.
Andy,
This is one of those times when someone comments publicly on such a decision and has a better solution that MS should have followed, rather than empty bashing. In a word, I agree your take seems to be better. Of course, they may need some help naming the products and slogans like “Welcome to the Social” don’t exactly put them at the top of the viral arena, do they? “Kin” makes me think of cousins who get married or “next of kin” which is mostly related to death or hospitalization.
Although the Zune was ridiculed and never released internationally, it apparently led to a GUI that I have heard is pretty good, unlike Windows Mobile which is abysmal.
Where do you want to go today?
Sorry, I came here from Twitter and thought it was an Andy post.
If I were to expand the post more I would have opened up some of the topics that you are bringing up. The marketing of the Kin was a bit awful IMHO, which is why I think spinning it out of Microsoft and letting it learn a bit from this type of feedback could have worked. The device and UI I really liked.
There was another phone UI that MS also was about to launch off of the Zune that also got killed inside of Microsoft that was supposed to be kick ass. They too got rolled into the main OS Windos 7 Mobile shit from what I have heard.
A company like Microsoft needs to be nimble and attract great talent to compete with Google/Apple, etc. To that end, spinning things out of the mother ship is probably one of the best ways to accomplish their goals while keeping talent interested, again IMHO.
Also on the Andy thing I take that as a complement, thanks.
The problem with KIN was simple. It had all the cost and overhead of a smart phone data plan, but it wasn’t competitive with the leaders in that space. If they were to make a go of it longer term they needed get carriers to cooperate with less onerous data plans.
I really believe there is a market for a dead simple low range socially enabled mobile phone.
It’s been done – that would be the INQ.