Microsoft Partners: Killing Kin Was Smart Move

Microsoft's decision to halt work on its Kin phones is being widely hailed as another crushing blow to its struggling mobile business. But despite widespread speculation that Windows Phone 7 may follow Kin into the annals of Microsoft mobile failures, some partners feel that killing Kin was a step in the right direction.

By integrating the Kin team into Windows Phone 7, Microsoft can start moving toward a unified mobile strategy and end the OS fragmentation that has long provided fodder for critics. Ditching Kin also shows that Microsoft knows better than to throw good money after bad by continuing to market a device that was doomed to niche status from the get-go.

"I think killing Kin and focusing on Windows Phone 7 was the right thing to do," said Andrew Brust, chief of new technology for twentysix New York, a Microsoft partner in New York City. "My only significant criticism of the move is that Microsoft should not have brought Kin to market at all."

Critics are having a field day in the wake of Kin's failure, in part because Microsoft tried to position itself as cool and edgy to appeal to younger mobile users. Due to Windows Mobile's well-publicized struggles, Kin has been interpreted and scrutinized as a glimpse of Microsoft's future mobile intentions instead of an experimental foray into a new market.

Naysayers are also questioning Microsoft's ability to execute on Windows Phone 7. On some levels, it's a legitimate view: The mobile industry is booming, but mobile is one of the weakest parts of Microsoft's business. Except for the largely positive developer response to Windows Phone 7, Microsoft doesn't have any mobile success stories to hang its hat on, not to mention market momentum.

But while Kin's early retirement is unfortunate, its lack of success won't carry over to Windows Phone 7, according to Nick Landry, an enterprise mobility practice manager with Infusion Development, a Microsoft partner in New York City.

"The Kin was a completely different device, targeted at a different audience and sharing none of the same software features as Windows Phone 7 from a consumer or developer point of view," said Landry.

Next: How Windows Phone 7 Could Succeed

Brust believes Microsoft lost face for launching Kin but says the current wave of gloom-and-doom about Windows Phone 7 isn't grounded in logic.

"The strategy seems generally in disarray, and that could cause further missteps that impair or preclude Windows Phone 7's success in the market," said Brust. "But the idea that the missteps Microsoft has already made will hurt Windows Phone 7 is not correct."

Kin's demise just over two months after Microsoft launched it at a glitzy media event in San Francisco certainly qualifies as a mobile misstep. Microsoft spent $500 million to acquire Danger and was unable to bring a successful product to market. And reports of internal infighting in the Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team that developed Kin don't bode well for the future, either.

But with Windows Phone 7, Microsoft does have the attention and interest of its massive developer army, to whom it can provide top-notch tools for developing mobile apps. In the opinion of partners, that's the only barometer for Windows Phone 7's success that matters right now.

"Ultimately, the success or failure of Windows Phone 7 will come down to the stability of the OS, its features and functionality, a robust and developer-friendly store environment and a clear, precise marketing message," said Clinton Fitch, a Dallas-based Microsoft Windows Mobile MVP.

Of course, Apple and Android have large developer bases too, and Windows Phone 7 is going to have plenty of competition. Windows Phone 7 isn't going to restore Microsoft to its former mobile industry leadership role overnight, but it does stand to give Microsoft something it hasn't enjoyed in this space in a long time: momentum.

"I think everyone agrees that version one of Windows Phone 7 isn't going to beat the iPhone in every single feature," said Landry. "But it will be an extremely strong contender that will put Microsoft back on the map."