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Robbie Bach - the new super-boss of Windows Mobile and Xbox and Zune - all in one - is talking about future July 28, 2006 [General] | By Edward J. R. To pretend that Microsoft is innovative and that various divisions are not drifting away, between top Microsoft management (Steve Balllmer - CEO, Bill Gates - de facto boss) and the Windows Mobile and embedded division another layer of management was placed - Robbie Bach. Furthermore Xbox and Windows Mobile and (upcoming) Zune have been bundled into new organizational unit - "Entertainment and Devices Division". This new layer of management could be considered "just not-needed bureaucracy" on one hand, but if integration of various Microsoft platforms and services (like connecting Windows Mobile to Xbox, running Zune services in Windows Mobile, etc) will be facilitated through this process then it is good also for Windows Mobile. Otherwise it is just an unnecessary organizational fat. Anyway just yesterday Robbie Bach, who is now a boss both of Xbox and Windows Mobile, during analyst meeting was talking also about Windows Mobile. He clearly underlined that Nokia (de-facto owners of Symbian) and RIM (makers of BlackBerry) and (mobile) Linux are main competitors to Microsoft. The "mobile and embedded" division is profitable and 10.6 million Windows Mobile devices were sold by now (only part of it are mobile phones - pity that Microsoft doesn't tell how many are phones and how many are just PDAs): 
Several new Windows Mobile phones are coming (including Windows Mobile Treo for GSM - first time this photo is revealed to the public!) and very significant growth of sales of Windows Mobile phones is to be expected: 
Since Apple iPod (and iTunes) and Sony PSP (Playstation Portable) are extremely popular what endangers any chances of Microsoft powered devices, Microsoft is launching this year Zune initiative that will cover new devices and new services (not just Playsforsure, but much more): 
... but it is unclear whether Windows Mobile will be able to use Zune. Knowing total incompetence of Microsoft in integration of various products of their own, for example: Xbox 360 can connect to Apple iPod and Sony PSP but is not working with Microsoft's own Windows Mobile! - we however have doubts whether Windows Mobile will be able to use Zune services at all! In other words to get all your iTunes songs purchased for free / transferred to Zune, one will have to have Zune device and Zune will NOT be running in Windows Mobile. Unfortunately extremely weak integration of various Microsoft products with Windows Mobile by now indicates that there will be no Zune for Windows Mobile! If it is the fact it means that Robbie Bach has failed. Clearly Windows Mobile has future and is present in overall Microsoft road maps: 
Obviously mobile and embedded sub-division is already profitable and Robbie Bach claims that also Gaming will become profitable in year 2008: 
... what sounds like totally unrealistic prediction seeing, that Xbox division has huge losses now (multiple billion USD) - every Xbox 360 unit sold brings over 100 USD of losses. Microsoft wants to make up the losses in hardware by selling software (games) and services (Xbox Live). Conclusion: future of Windows Mobile phones is certain however it looks like Microsoft still perceives them as devices for businessmen and professionals and integrates only business products in Windows Mobile (Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange with Push Email) but is missing out in entertainment department (no integration with Xbox 360, no Zune for Windows Mobile). Robbie Bach has therefore yet to prove whether he is useful (for Windows Mobile) at all! To learn more, to read whole text of Robbie Bach and to see PowerPoint presentation from which above images come from, click here.  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later)
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