Remember how Microsoft vigorously defended Windows Vista as a good product despite strong criticism and slow adoption by IT departments? Looks like even Microsoft didn’t believe its words, either.
At this week’s Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said Apple’s iPhone 4 problems “might be [Apple’s] Vista.” There seems to be a trend there since Turner is the same guy who said at last year’s conference that Windows 7 had real momentum — unlike Vista.
In his address to the Microsoft faithful, Turner appeared to be stoking the old rivalry between Microsoft and Apple. He promised that users of Windows Phone 7 Series devices won’t have to worry about how they hold their phones. Reports have Apple’s iPhone 4 suffering signal loss when the innovative antenna comes in contact with human skin.
Back in the Game?
Noting the market’s strong adoption of Windows 7, Turner said, “We’re back in the game with Windows Phone 7. Our customers are going to vote by what they buy, but clearly we’ve done it once, we’re going to do it again.”
That comment, of course, ignores the fact that Microsoft is behind in a competitive mobile market with Apple and Google’s Android operating system moving up fast. A Nielsen study of the first quarter found that Microsoft lost two percent of the mobile market while Apple and Google each gained two percent.
Microsoft has also dropped its ill-fated Kin phones aimed at the youth market and suspended sales of the once-popular Sidekick line it inherited from subsidiary Danger.
In addition, Microsoft is scrambling to get developers interested in creating apps for Windows Phone 7. As we previously reported, Todd Brix, a senior Microsoft director, reportedly said the company is offering financial incentives, including income guarantees, and free tools and test phones to get developers on board.
Microsoft reportedly has just 246…