THE SPECTRE of Google’s Android has apparently got Microsoft spooked into making wild cost claims to tempt OEMs into buying Windows Phone 7 licences.
As just about every smartphone manufacturer and aspiring Ipad wannabe is loading the Linux based operating system on their devices, Business Insider is reporting that someone close to the Vole’s mobile strategy went off trying to dispel the ‘myth’ that Android is free. It makes for somewhat shocking if not entertaining reading.
One must remember that Microsoft will be charging OEMs $15 to load its upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system onto each and every device, something that it has to justify.
Android is not only free, but allows anyone to modify the source code without fear that Google will come breaking down the door.
Apparently it’s the modification that costs money, according to Microsoft, with the claim that by not using the “stock build” of Android, OEMs are bearing the costs.
Given that most manufacturers are tailoring the operating system to incorporate unique selling points, therefore enabling them to generate cash, a business type might even put the cost down as research and development.
But what the heck anyway, who needs source code when you have Microsoft’s one size fits all model?
Then follows the rather curious claim that OEMs have to pay for the basic features in Android. The claim goes, “For example, software to edit [Microsoft] Office documents, audio/video codecs, or improved location services (for this, Motorola licenses from Skyhook, just as Apple once did).”
So let’s see here, Microsoft’s own licensing shenanigans are being used as evidence to bolster claims that its operating system is cheaper for OEMs.
It almost reminds us of an ex-Microsoft employee who suddenly decided to sue just about every company that’s successfully using the Internet, except for his past employer of course, by claiming that they have infringed his extremely broad, but shallow, patents.
There are more giggles to be had in claims of Windows Phone 7 having superior testing environments for developers and that the operating system provides a “great user experience” for Zune, Xbox Live and even Visual Studio development.
Perhaps this forward-thinking Vole hasn’t heard of Eclipse or the multitude of other integrated development environments that vast armies of open source coders use to create some of the most useful code out there today.
In amongst all of the hyperbole, one home truth does ring true. Just like we predicted back in March, Microsoft is blaming Android fragmentation for slow software update cycles.
Apparently OEMs give up on updating less popular devices due to the costs of updating software. But apparently Windows Phone 7 won’t have this issue, though that’s perhaps because not that many devices will run it in the first place.
Apparently Microsoft’s licensing agreement is something that OEMs should look upon as some sort of security blanket rather than as a great way for the Vole to extract cash from them.
Apparently, “Microsoft indemnifies OEMs who license Windows Phone 7 against [intellectual property] issues with the product.”
It all depends on whether any licensing cost agreement imposed under the threat of litigation might cost less than what Microsoft is charging to load what is most likely to become the fourth or maybe fifth most popular smartphone operating system on the market.
It is true that OEMs have to spend some money to get Android to do exactly what they want.
However, it is also clear that handset manufacturers and mobile operators really do like being able to customise and brand handsets for their own benefit.
Microsoft’s Phone 7 is getting ready to launch, and a number of handset designs and specifications are already leaking out.
Though all the demonstrations show that Windows Phone 7 is looking a lot better than the Vole’s previous efforts with Windows Mobile, few would give Microsoft a chance against Apple’s Iphone or high-end mobile devices running Android.
With so many Android devices on the market and the number of applications available on the Android Market growing so rapidly, it’s not surprising that desperate claims are being made.
The problem is, it is Google, not Microsoft, that might get away with charging $15 for its mobile operating system, given its commanding lead in the market.
We tried to get Google to comment on these claims but failed to get an answer out of it by press time.
Source:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1730482/microsoft-claims-googles-android-free
