When last I posted of Microsoft, I mentioned a bit about what I thought was their greatest accomplishment:
I think that MS's greatest accomplishment in the last decade or so has been the Xbox. They plunged headfirst into one of the most difficult tech markets and not only survived but thrived. Ironically, it had little to do with 'synergy' or marketing gimmicks or because people had a predisposition to buy the Xbox because of the Microsoft name, but because they put out a high quality, kick ass product. They innovated and it paid off. It's extra impressive because a gaming platform really wasn't in their corporate DNA.
Now let's talk about something that was a total failure. So how about just 7 weeks after launch, not only is the tech community calling MS's latest phone a failure, but Microsoft is doing so as well. Ouch:
"We have made the decision to focus on our Windows Phone 7 launch and we will not ship Kin in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our Kin team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from Kin into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current Kin phones."
Don't worry: it's worse than you think. PC Mag continues:
Microsoft told me at launch that it considered the Kin would be a way to address a younger, more social target market than the "life maximizers" who would be picking up Windows Phone 7 devices. Kin phones could be lower spec, and less expensive than Windows Phone 7 units.
What? What?!? Lemme make sure I understand this: those hip 17 year olds don't want a smart phone, they want something that kinda looks like a smart phone, kind acts like a smart phone, but is actually a dumb phone. Aha! How on Earth could that fail? Because if it's one thing we know, it's that kids are stupid about technology!
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An aside, even more interesting: I had no idea that the Kin was geared toward teens. The commercials I had seen clearly had people who were late twenty something/early thirty something people. I know I saw at least one like that---possibly a second one. It's worth mentioning because there were apparently several commercials which included the teenagers. Now it's not like I'm a huge TV watcher and obvious: when I am watching the tube I'm probably not watching MTV and I'm probably fast forwarding through commercials. But still: I'm certain I saw a kin advertisement or two on Gawker sites, so I'm sure there was some serious brand confusion if you think you're going to appeal to highschoolers and the Gawker crowd. Even the non-techy Gawker site sis largely populated by experienced tubez types - or those who know the difference between a smart phone and a dumb phone.
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But worse still:
T-Mobile USA will stop selling its current Sidekick mobile phones effective Friday, though it will keep the Sidekick brand alive.
"Stay tuned for exciting updates in the months ahead, which we expect will provide customers with a new and fresh experience," T-Mobile said in the statement. T-Mobile spokesman David Henderson declined to comment on the manufacturer or operating system for the future Sidekicks.
Don't hold your breath, Paris. On second thought.....
This actually makes a lot of sense. Obviously, if not geared for teen agers it was certainly geared for the least common denominator of tech and therefore could occupy a 'discount' space like the entry level Palm devices did well for a time. That's not a bad thing either. But probably MS just realized that having two platforms in the same market is pretty pointless considering that applications = users and users = applications thing that both Apple and Google seem to be hedging their bets on. You can probably gain some insight that if MS is willing to pull the Kin after just 7 weeks, it's probably safe to assume that they'll have an entry level Win phone to occupy the same spot. So really dropping the Kin is probably just corrective action to make sure the market is 'clear' for consumers when the winphone launches.
Still though, the Kin is going to make every "Greatest Product Flop" of all time lists for years to come---probably solidifying a spot somewhere between Vista and Bob. And if that's the case....you have to wonder how this happened in the first place.