Windows Everywhere

Good piece by Paul Thurrott on the “Windows Everywhere” philosophy that is ruining Microsoft:

In fact, in a Q&A last week, Ballmer said that the future was mainstream Windows, running on a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, traditional PCs, and servers. If you’re a Windows Phone advocate, as I am, that has to give you pause. If you’re a potential Windows Phone customer, in fact, it should make you question the future of this platform beyond your two-year wireless network commitment.

I, along with many others, have wondered why Microsoft named Windows Phone 7 “Windows”. It doesn’t look or act anything like Windows (the PC OS) or the old Windows Mobile. It feels like something brand new, that deserves a new name. I’m wondering now if they called it “Windows Phone” because calling it “Windows” Something was the only way they could get it approved by Ballmer.

★ Wednesday, 12 January 2011