Should Microsoft Charge For Windows Phone 7 Series?
Microsoft showed off its new mobile platform called Windows Phone 7 Series earlier this week. While the new mobile OS promises big changes in comparison to previous generations of Windows Mobile, one thing remains the same: Microsoft still intends to charge manufacturers to license the software. Whether or not this is a wise decision will remain to be seen, but there are compelling arguments for both sides. When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Microsoft would continue with its current Windows Mobile business model, he defended the stance saying, “I think there’s something clean and simple and easy to understand about our model….We build something, we sell that thing.” He added, “I think it’s not only in our best interests, but it’s … a simple model that’s easy for developers, handset manufacturers, and our operator partners to deal with, to understand, and to build from.” Considering Android and Symbian are open source platforms and BlackBerry and the iPhone software is not availabl
