[Am-info] MS & Intel go after Smart Phone market

[Erick Andrews]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,652769,00.html

===========================================
PC giants seek mobile market domination 

Mark Tran
Tuesday February 19, 2002 

Microsoft and Intel today unveiled plans designed 
to replicate their dominance of the PC software market
in the mobile phone sector. 

Along with Texas Instruments, Microsoft and Intel 
announced their intention to produce blueprints for 
new mobile phones and handheld computer phones 
that would allow mass production of handsets by 
companies using standard Microsoft and Intel technology.

If the plan succeeds, Microsoft and Intel could end up
dominating the mobile phone industry as they do the 
PC market. 

Microsoft supplies more than 90% of PC operating 
systems through its Windows software, while Intel 
supplies most of the chips for PCs. 

In effect, Microsoft and Intel produce most of the 
brains and guts of the PC industry through their "Wintel" 
duopoly, and they want to do the same for mobile phones.

The announcement at a telecommunications industry 
conference in Cannes marks a shift in Microsoft strategy. 

Until now, Bill Gates's company has worked with 
individual companies on customised software, with 
limited success. 

Now they will work to develop so-called reference 
designs that could establish standards for the industry. 

But Microsoft has so far made little headway into the 
mobile phone market, especially in Europe where the 
industry is still dominated by European players such 
as Ericsson and Nokia.

Last year, Microsoft said it was going after the smartphone 
market - lightweight phones with the capacity to display
diaries, receive email and play music files - but it lags 
behind Britain's Symbian.

The British company is currently introducing smartphone
software that can handle email, calendars and messages. 

Symbian is backed by four of the world's top five mobile
phone makers, accounting for 70% of all handsets produced 
worldwide.

Sony, Ericsson and Nokia have already launched their first
smartphones that run on Symbian and of the top five
cellphone manufacturers, only Samsung has said it will use
Microsoft Windows powered Smartphone 2002 software.
===========================================

-- 
Erick Andrews