Smartphone wars: iPhone is dead, long live WinPho!, says Microsoft

I once complained to my hubbo about how Android and iPhone owners (as well as users of BlackBerry and WebOS, to a lesser degree) go at each other. To me, the platform wars were inane. Silly, even. There are merits and downsides to each OS, and they all suit different kinds of users.

So I was chewing his ear off awhile back when he turned to me and said, “Hon, what do you expect? It’s like the Red Sox vs. Yankees. This is their version of sports.” That made me stop cold. The armchair philosopher dropped a bomb that was so obvious, and yet somehow so deep. Rallying around things is what people have always done throughout history. So who am I to fight human nature?

There’s also the spirit of competition. Would we now be enjoying as many advancements without it? This fairly newfound enlightenment totally affects the way I’m looking at this next item. Once upon a time, something like this would’ve annoyed me, but now, I chuckle and say, “Nice jab!” (Yes, I’m mixing boxing and baseball metaphors. So what? It’s all sports…)

If you noticed in the first paragraph, I didn’t mention Windows. Indeed, Windows Mobile’s demise took it out of the running, and there isn’t a solid WinPho 7 phone on the market — yet. But it has been greenlighted for RTM, meaning it’s cleared for manufacturing. To mark the occasion, Microsoft celebrated with an unusual parade this week. Actually, it was a fake funeral procession proclaiming that WinPho “Buries the competition,” like the iPhone and BlackBerry. (Check out the hearse, black capes and bag pipes.)

What’s with the Vader? Isn’t that usually an AT&T reference?

I’ve got to hand it to Microsoft — this show of bravado is creative at best (and maybe a little tasteless, at worst). But at least it marks the fact that a new competitor is on deck. WinPho seems like it’s in it to win it, with an “offensive” strategy aimed at psyching out the competitors. It’s your move now, Cupertino and RIM.

So there you go, a wacky mobile tech “news of the weird” covered ESPN-style, complete with sports metaphors. All we need now are foam fingers and hotdogs, and we’ve got ourselves a bona fide tournament. (If there are any actual baseball, boxing or football fans in the audience, I am truly sorry. If it’s not obvious, I’m not much of a sports person. But at least I may finally “get” the essence of this.)

As a grace note, here’s an interesting look at one of the highlights of the event below: A “Thriller” performance danced by various costumed Microsoft employees. (Huh? Is this the half-time show? Uh, oookaay. Maybe I don’t quite get this after all.)

Via: ITProPortal, Engadget