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Is Windows Mobile on its way to the deadpool?

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that the next major version of it’s mobile OS, Windows Mobile 7, would be delayed yet again.  When the last version of Windows Mobile was released, the world was iPhone and Android free, and the only touchscreen phones you could buy ran Palm OS or Windows Mobile and needed a stylus.  In the world of technology, that was a generation ago.  In a modern context, Windows Mobile 6.1 looks positively archaic, and before Windows Mobile 7 makes it’s way to market, it will only continue to decline comparatively.  Is Windows Mobile on the way to the Deadpool right along with PalmOS?  Find out after the jump!

In short?  Yes.  It is.

At least, as it stands today.  In it’s current incarnation, Windows Mobile is clunky, inelegant, slow, unreliable, and frustrating.  I should know, my phone runs it.  To make sure that I even recieve PHONE CALLS (you know, the primary function of a PHONE) I have to hard reboot the phone at least once a week by pulling the battery.  Eventually the OS just gets so slow and bloated by just RUNNING that it becomes unusable.  The only thing keeping me from jumping ship to an iPhone is the leftover few months on my contract, and you better believe I won’t miss WinMo for one second.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, the iPhone is the least of their concerns.  The iPhone is locked to ONE US carrier and ONE piece of phone hardware.  Since Microsoft licenses it’s OS for multiple types of phones, they shouldn’t care much about the iPhone anyway.  The real thing they should be frightened of is Google’s Android.  For all of the press’ comparisons to Apple’s offering, the real target Google has had in it’s sights the whole time is Microsoft.

They know Microsoft is in a weak position, and they were able to take their time, and put together a flexible, stable, advanced OS that they could bring to market and simply usurp Microsoft’s marketshare.   While Android doesn’t compare as favorably against the vertical platform that is the iPhone, it certainly blows Windows Mobile out of the water with ease.

Thankfully for Microsoft, they have one thing that will protect them.  Exchange.

Until some sort of open, accepted alternative for exchange is put together, they will be able to hold onto a shred of the marketshare they have now in business users.  Unfortunately for them, RIM and the Blackberry, as well as the iPhone are making their way into business markets with remarkable speed.

With Windows Mobile 7 delayed, I can only hope Microsoft is taking the time to revamp the OS to a point where it becomes a really mature, functional, and stable mobile OS.  The game has changed, and I’m afraid that Microsoft might just be too big and slow to keep up.