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Microsoft to Mobile Customers: Choice is a Bad Thing (and Linux will Lose)

Posted by Scott_Ruecker on · 3 comments
The Linux Foundation; By Jim Zemlin
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Last week, David Coursey reported that Microsoft entertainment and devices boss Robbie Bach made the prediction in an analyst briefing that Linux on mobile will lose. Why? It’s choice is a bad thing for customers and that there is too much Linux in the mobile marketplace. By Bach’s count there are 17 variants of Linux available on mobile phones. He sees this as a bad thing for customers. We, unsurprisingly, see this as a bad thing for Microsoft.

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Comments (3)

While I expect that the "17 variants" of Linux on mobile phones may eventually consolidate down to 3 or 4 (counting Android and Moblin), I think that over time it is likely that Linux and iPhone will eventually control the vast majority of handsets. I expect Blackberry will eventually go over to a Linux base and that most of the other proprietary OSes will die out. Microsoft will continue to pour resources into Windows mobile to keep it out there, but it will struggle to maintain its current meager market share or even lose more ground. If it weren't for Microsoft spending a lot of $$$ advertising Windows phones, I think it would be dead already.
"Choice is a bad thing." I'm sure Hugo and Mahmoud would agree.

Yes, I know there are less egregious examples. It's just a quick way to make the point.
Quoting:I think that over time it is likely that Linux and iPhone will eventually control the vast majority of handsets.


I'm not too sure. People are pouring a lot of money in the new open source Symbian. That's a contender too.

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