January 6, 2008

Microsoft Takes Another Page From Apple With Windows Mobile 7

Erick Schonfeld

35 comments »

Apparently, Microsoft has no shame when it comes to borrowing Apple’s best ideas. This time, though, it’s in mobile phones. It looks like Microsoft is going to push a touch-screen interface in a big way. Screen shots and specs of the next version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 7, are being leaked. WinMo 7 appears to support a gesture interface that will let mobile consumers flick their fingers to slide through images and applications, zoom in and zoom out, and even shake the cell phone to do things like shuffle music. (Note that these features are from a purported internal Microsoft document from last summer and may not actually find their way into Windows Mobile 7, but we are hoping that they do).

Not everything in WinMo 7 is copied from the iPhone. The shaking bit is new, and when the screen is locked, you will be able to doodle on your cell phone screen. But there is no denying that Microsoft is taking its cues from Apple on the user interface of its mobile operating system. Will history repeat itself with Microsoft running away with the prize here, or will Apple strike back by licensing its mobile operating system to other cell phone manufacturers?

Sphere It

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Niyaz PK

January 6th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Waiting for the mPhone…..
It is not a bad thing to borrow good ideas. But if you run a company solely based on borrowed ideas it is indeed a shame. Microsoft, try to focus. We have to fix Vista. We’ll play after that.
Technicle

January 6th, 2008 at 9:17 pm

Microsoft exercising its muscles in 2008??? So much MS news in a week’s time (and with coverages on TC!)
Planet Malaysia

January 6th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

Micro$oft used to be copycat for all the time.
Ryan G.

January 6th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

Actually, the shaking thing isn’t a Microsoft idea. I came across an MP3 player made for kids that you shake to flip between songs, it was actually in the Toys R’ Us circular too. =(
Online Presence :: Make Money Online

January 6th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

The “shaking bit” is already a part of several Sony Ericsson phones!
Robert

January 6th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

“Will history repeat itself with Microsoft running away with the prize here, or will Apple strike back by licensing its mobile operating system to other cell phone manufacturers?”

Total non sequitur. Even assuming WinMo7 will deliver a comparable experience, which is hardly a given, “licensing its operating system” is hardly the only response open to Apple, and suggesting it as a course of action seems rather foolish given that Apple hasn’t done this any of the other times pundits have offered it up as the sole possible solution.
Suraj Luke

January 6th, 2008 at 10:01 pm

#5, Erick was talking about in comparison with the Iphone and thats why he termed it as “new”
Jared Kells

January 6th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

Have you used a windows mobile? Your article acts like windows mobile has never had a touch screen before. Copying a gesture interface for navigating photos, while quite intuitive, is hardly at the core of a mobile operating system.

I think you should have a look through the the various iterations of windows mobile http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobile.

Windows mobile 2000 was released 7 years ago, had a touch screen supported character recognition, media player, office etc. Not only that it had an SDK that you could write real applications with.

Windows mobile 6 that came out this year is an awesome stable platform, have a look at the feature set some time. Taking its cues from Apple? lol.

Enjoy the over hyped cell phone with an ajax web browser, I will continue to use a real smart phone.
Boring Market

January 6th, 2008 at 10:08 pm

Microsoft has long been a copycat of Apple, basing even its widely successful OS Windows off of Apple developments in the early days. I hope that Microsoft size doesn’t taint the market of mobile phones, like the they did with the Zune.
Peter

January 6th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

“Will history repeat itself with Microsoft running away with the prize here, or will Apple strike back by licensing its mobile operating system to other cell phone manufacturers?”

Why is it that other cell phone manufacturers need to license Apple’s OS, but Microsoft can rip off as it pleases?
Igor

January 6th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

Agree with #8. Seriously guys, do some research and get off the old tit for tat fanboy rhetoric.
Chris

January 6th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

Agree with #8 and 11 and I only use WinMo 5. While I would love to have full Office installed as in WinMo 6, the touch screen only adds to ease of use, not functionality. If ATT wants to give me a Tilt like Newegg gave me a BlackJack, on a 2yr, I’d take it for alot more than the touch screen. The iPhone, to me, is nothing more than an encapsulated device that is designed to steer the “flash” oriented public towards a Mac, pardon the pun. I will, however, give Apple credit for building another rock solid piece of hardware. If you want your circuits encased in anything, it should be the way Apple builds stuff. It feels like you can throw it against the wall and it would still work. *Disclaimer* I have not, and would not suggest trying this at home.
Satish S

January 6th, 2008 at 11:53 pm

The Shake feature is available in one particular Walkman series phone. It was not so nice, so to speak. Hope its better in WinMo7.

Also, lets see if MS gets to developing Multi-touch screens. That was a Apple first, so MS would like to ’second’ it. LOL.
liquidboy

January 7th, 2008 at 12:16 am

Everything in this industry is copied to a certain degree. Unless your first to the market then you will be perceived as a copy cat.

Do you expect Microsoft to sit there and let there mobile OS just stagnate for the sake of not being perceiveda s copy cats?

Geez think about what your saying, it’s not a bad thing what there doing!

Microsoft have innovated in so many other areas, they can’t always be first to market at everything. In time they will create features on the mobile that will be innovative and first to market, then Apple will be forced to copy there IP.

Get over it!
Chris B.

January 7th, 2008 at 12:29 am

Agree with #8, 11 and 12. MSFT has been shipping WM for some time and the touch screen is nothing new. Apple took that to the mainstream and kudos to them for that, but what’s wrong with MSFT being a fast follower? It just makes (business) sense.

Note that neither Xbox was the first game console, nor Zune the first portable media plater, but MSFT has proven that it can add a great deal of value (to the consumer’s experience as well as OEMs’ pockets) by spotting trends, then following the ones that make business sense.

At the end, this benefits the consumers.
marhatho

January 7th, 2008 at 1:28 am

Microsoft Surface was previewed way before the IPhone came out. And has tons of gesture features. Howcome you think MS just copied this stuff from Apple?
gyula csocsan

January 7th, 2008 at 2:44 am

can this new WM 7 be installed to every divece running WM 6? I just have a new GSmart i350 for two weeks and I do not plan to buy a new pda in the next months
Chris

January 7th, 2008 at 2:49 am

should we just note here that Apple weren’t the first to do anything the iPhone does?
JA

January 7th, 2008 at 3:09 am

As a windows Mobile user I’m happy to see MSFT moving forward with the interface,I’m sure they have a few surprises up t heir sleeves,match that with a strong back end on the software and this will be a win win for MSFT.

And please Microsoft, No At&T
Master William

January 7th, 2008 at 3:39 am

marthatho - Surface was previewed in May 2007. iPhone in January 2007. Please get your facts straight.
Alex

January 7th, 2008 at 4:41 am

Gosh, even in 2008 people will use two hands with ten fingers to operate electronics. Do you expect MS to drop touchscreen in favor of screwscreen or wipe-the-…-screen?
Christophe Lauer [MS]

January 7th, 2008 at 5:07 am

This article is just ridiculous, and if you believe what is written here, then you are just too naive.

Such technologies take years to develop. There are several projects around multi-touch screens for decades. And Apple came only late in the battle, though, I must admit, that the iPhone is certainly one of the first consumer implementation, with an uncontested success.

Just have a look at this quick history of the various projects related to multi-touch screens:
http://www.billbuxton.com/multitouchOverview.html

In a times when bloggers pretend to be better journalists, it’s so funny to see some people making the same mistakes and publish information without having verified their sources or doing a sanity check. Too bad.

With kind regards,

–
Christophe Lauer
(Oh yes, I do work for Microsoft France, BTW)
Paul Shearer

January 7th, 2008 at 6:57 am

Microsoft has never shied away from latching on to a great idea. Apple simple set the standard for the next generation mobile device the same as the Wii has for game consoles. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Bill and Steve should be best friends.

Paul Shearer
http://windows2008.informedcio.com
Mr. Crash

January 7th, 2008 at 8:58 am

OMG M$ STOLEZ TOUCH FROM APPEL!?

iphone isn’t real multitouch. 2 points of contact only.
winmo has had touch screen for ages… Devices with full face touch screens *really* can’t look that different.

Lets not forget LG actually did it before apple.

lets also not forget apple doesn’t give a crap because they’ll still sell millions more iphones anyway.

The devices probably won’t even be aimed at the same people.

Incidentally, while microsofts surface platform was only done in may or so 2007 - there was very similar devices knocked together by a whole stack of people… I remember seeing one a few years ago in my last year of highschool.

Everyone steals from everyone else in the consumer electronics industry.
It’s all about adapting to the accepted standard. Thats where the money really is. Original research is expensive and doesn’t always pay off… Being 2nd to market with an agressive price point and enough clout in terms of brand gets you by most of the time.
Michael

January 7th, 2008 at 9:41 am

I hate to say it retard but an OS that came out 1 year after another one couldn’t have copied ideas from the first one.
Sam

January 7th, 2008 at 9:58 am

I think the point is to satisfy mobile phone users around the world with new features- and not worry about the Techcrunch community.

Microsoft innovates enough to create markets which drive standards which their developer community adopts and build around- which leads to MSFT dominance and success. Wash, rinse, repeat…

If others are creating their own standards (for example around touch screens), they abstract the valuable aspects of the technology and integrate them into their offerings. If there is a problem, they’ll license or fight it out in court if necessary (given the breadth of their own patent library, this usually works). The point is, the emergent technology will be integrated into the MS offering.

Techcrunch community users should rejoice at this strategy. Overall, Microsoft is moving the screwed up communications industry forward (to their benefit to be sure), but they are not sitting still around like so much of the mobile software and hardware operators do. Ultimately, this can only create more benefit for future development and a better offering for users. The goal is simple- move mobile development from the communications sector to the computing sector. If anyone thinks that it won’t take a Company as powerful as MSFT to do that…they are crazy.

Lastly, Microsoft has much prior history (to iPhone) with gesturing touch screens- going back to their pen based computing days in 1992. To treat Apple developers as the sole innovator around this technology seems misplaced to me.
DavidEzra

January 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm

The only thing I really want to know is how many times a day am I going to have to “Reboot” my phone after it crashes? (J/K)
kris

January 7th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Before you defend MS take a look at the video of Steve Ballmer about the iphone here http://www.youtube.com/results.....rch=Search

So if MS has been developing something like this, why criticize the iPhone for not having a keyboard?

You complain about Apple not being the first touch-screen phone maker, but who ever used the technology like Apple did? Nobody! Now MS is using it like Apple.
Michael

January 7th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Most advanced technologies come out of think tanks or universities, they’re rarely from corporations who are usually only interested in making profits by using tested and proven tech. Neither Apple or Microsoft invented touch screens, multi-touch or gesture based technology. But if you read the following link, you’ll clearly see that Apple was way ahead of Microsoft in developing and implementing most advance user interaction. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~amulet/.....ry.tr.html

Possibly first demonstration of the possibilites of multi-touch tech… http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

Apple’s use of touch screens and gesture recognition; 1993 with the Newton
Their first use of multi-touch tech (albeit simple); 2004 trackpad in their laptops
portorikan

January 7th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

“Will history repeat itself with Microsoft running away with the prize here, or will Apple strike back by licensing its mobile operating system to other cell phone manufacturers?”

Probably not. Apple will respond in kind with a thingy called a lawsuit or something. For the flicking and gestures.
Joe

January 8th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

“Microsoft innovates enough to create markets which drive standards which their developer community adopts and build around- which leads to MSFT dominance and success. Wash, rinse, repeat…”

And yet they have totally failed to do that in the cell phone market.

MSFT have just announced that they’ve sold 20 million Windows Mobile devices to date. To put that into perspective, Symbian has sold 190 million devices and Nokia sells over 1 million phones *per day*.

Microsoft is now getting a kicking from Apple, Symbian and Linux in the cell phone world. And its response won’t be out until 2009. I wonder what its rivals will have developed and released by then.

Where’s the dominance? Where’s the success? I don’t think MSFT should be proud of 4th place.
Danny Sullivan

January 9th, 2008 at 5:24 am

As a long time Windows Mobile user, I look forward to when the 3G iPhone comes out, for Apple to be called copying Windows Mobile. I’ve had a 3G, broadband, music playing, touch screen capable, big screen viewable phone using the Microsoft operating system for over 2 years.
chris

January 9th, 2008 at 11:21 am

i dont think this should be classified as copying. cause to b technical, apple jumping into the cell phone game would b 1 in the same. i’ m a admit i had an iphone and it was nice. but after about 5 months i felt limited cause i had a wm phone and i knew what i used to b able to do. i’m betting that a lot of these people that have the iphone never had a WM pocketpc(not a smartphone..deferent in many ways). The screen, the touch response and the eye candy of it all is all u really get. it really only has 3apps that can even be considered special(youtube, google maps, and itunes). i mean my phone thanks to all of our partners has like 40 or more apps. dont diss microsoft, they have partners…certain limitations and certain freedoms. WM7 looks real good. i think if u take the iphone and throw WM7 on top. u will have a true powerful OS…sometimes freedom and partners makes the difference.
I’m pretty sure Cuba(apple) aint that bad its jus the freedom of the USA(M$) i like more. IMO…LOL
Krugeri

January 14th, 2008 at 9:11 pm

Wow. The venom.

Have used MoWin smartphones. They were okay. They did their jobs and did them well. I’ve really liked a couple.

Got an iPhone (8GB) for Xmas from my wife and would never go back to, in my opinion, just a regular phone. I absolutely love it. It is an insult to call it a ‘phone’. Is it perfect? No. Is MoWin perfect? No… and MoWin is on its 7th major iteration while the iPhone is on its first.

Pick the one that fits your needs. Stop trashing the choices of others to soothe your own fragile egos.

The very presence of the iPhone will make all phones better as manufactures raise their games, carriers realize that great phones (not cheap ones) will drive customers to you, and MS further refines their software.

Critics (most of which haven’t used an iPhone for any appreciable period) should be glad its here and not constantly deriding it. Plus it just seems immature and insecure to do so.
Abhishek

February 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 am

Let microsoft be a copycat… but this looks really promising and i think it will be liked by the people a lot due to it’s user friendliness..