Windows Marketplace for Mobile destined to be road kill

Yep, we’re talking about the Windows Appstore Marketplace for Mobile. The lovely new appstore for the new breed of Windows Mobile 6.5 based devices. By all early accounts its getting mildly favorable reviews. Which is nice for Microsoft as they desperately try to continue to bask in the glow of their post-Vista, warm and fuzzy new Windows 7 every thing we do is art aura… except… Windows Marketplace for Mobile is destined to be road kill in the world of mobile appstores.


Windows Marketplace for Mobile will die a long slow protracted Microsoft life-supported death for 3 main reasons.

1.    Having an appstore not that long ago was a cool thing. Even just as an announcement unto itself. It also meant sites like ours, Techcrunch for the Yank-centric crowd, and a zillion little fan blogs would have to cover every exciting little app that came bobbing along through the store. But now that Facebook has gone mobile on the iPhone (wow!), Android (neato) the Blackberry (cool), Palm Pre (ok, of course) and now on Windows  Mobile 6.5!!! (snore…)…who’s going to really care? Do we need to explain how wonderful the fart apps for Windows Marketplace for Mobile are? No. You’ll already know from overhearing them in the next cubicle of your iPhone loving co-worker for the last 2 years.

So the media won’t be paying big attention who cares… it’s the users who’ll make it a success right? Wrong!

2.    Users… what users? So the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is being hailed as being perdy and functional. Windows Mobile 6.5 is getting panned! It used to be if you were a business user you might feel some obligation to go WinMo, but with all the choices now for smarter and better feature phones I can’t see people flocking to the devices. Even if you’re a fan of HTC designed phones and their lovely Sense UI layer they use to hide enhance WinMo you’ll have no trouble migrating to one of their forthcoming Android based devices.  There is a reason why Verizon is introducing 2 new Android based devices on to the US market before the year is out.

3.    Even the millions of lower end shanzhai phones who we’ve been covering will have an open option with Android, as soon as MediaTek makes it available. They’ll be able to use the latest greatest Android goodness (and compatible apps) at no charge… or steal pay for a crappy WinMo 6.5. I can’t imagine that being to tough a decision.

If the iPhone’s appstore had come after Windows Marketplace for Mobile it would be Apple-shaped tire tread marks all over the beast’s appstore creation but since it came first, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Market won’t even be a speed bump on their continued road to further success.

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Articles - Op-Ed