Speculation: Windows Mobile 7 Arrives Way After iPhone OS 4.0 in 2010

I considered refraining from commenting on this short item in DigiTimes…

Microsoft to adopt dual-platform strategy to compete with Android and iPhone, say handset makers

But, it has generated so much commentary, I decided to add my own 2 cents. Here’s my highly editorialized version of DigiTimes’ Windows Mobile timeline…

October 2009: Windows Mobile 6.5 launched but still looks like Windows 6.1, 6.0, 5, 2003 2nd Edition and 2003. No one cares.

February 2010: Windows Mobile 6.5 touch interface upgrade becomes available. The iPhone-ization process begins.

4th Quarter 2010: Windows Mobile 7 launches. The upgrade does much to nearly catch up to iPhone OS 3.0′s user interface and ease of use. Unfortunately, Apple released iPhone OS 4.0 in June 2010 and Windows 7 looks dated.

Sigh. I like Windows Mobile. I’ve been using Windows CE/Windows Mobile devices since 1997. I just bought an HTC Touch Pro2 running Windows Mobile 6.1. I sure hope my admitedly snarky commentary is proven wrong.

AllFacebook Marketing Conference returns to San Francisco on June 28-29! Join us and get a how-to guide for marketing to Facebook’s 800 million users. A full agenda will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our event site for more information. Special early pricing is available for only $249 until this Wednesday, February 15, so register today.