Windows Mobile 7 is coming out soon and it looks to be a huge departure from all WM up through 6.5. Up until Android hit the market a few years ago Windows Mobile was the most open a phone could get other than an actual linux phone but name me one person who owned one of those. There was no unified place to buy or even brows apps (they were called applications back then). There were tons of different handsets running WM ranging from all screen to non-touch screens with hardware keyboards.
That's all changed. Now Microsoft is setting incredibly strict rules for the hardware. Standard buttons, in house testing, a hard set market for apps. You know what all this seems like? The iPhone.
While I saw this coming and have written about the coming of the iPhone-ish WiMo as a reason I jumped to the open Android I don't look down on Microsoft for this. It's obvious by now that they have been edged out of a market that they essentially ruled not too long ago: a professional smartphone that's not run through the Blackberry servers. As soon as there was competition Microsoft lost the battle. Their artillery was great as long as it was the only option.
I honestly think this is a positive change for Microsoft. I think they need something like this. I would have gone with a more radical change in strategy, not imitating an existing method but creating a complimentary modular system. But that's just me. Hopefully this works because the more options out there for smartphones the better the competition gets. Android wouldn't be what it is today without iOS and the 3rd party upgrades are standing on the shoulders of stock Android.
I'm eager to see where this goes even if I don't hitch my wagon to it.
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