Surface Phone

Windows Phone 8 is about to be released, and HTC, Samsung and Nokia have put their bets on the table ready for the arrival of this mobile operating system. But Could it be that Microsoft is also preparing a mobile for a little after the launch of its operating system? Let's analyze the possible answers to a question with many variables.

A few months ago Microsoft surprised the world with the presentation of the Surface, a device that aims to take advantage of the best of Windows 8, but when I say that it surprised, I am not saying it because of the device as such, but also, but due to Microsoft's commitment to compete with its own customers, something closely linked to the arrival of that possible Microsoft phone.

Surface Phone: Why?

In a few words and without going around the matter too much, the Microsoft phone (which in this case we will call Surface Phone) would arrive at the market if the company so desires because it has the capacity to do so.

Microsoft has shown that in addition to making good software for mass use, it can also be very good at making hardware. There are examples kicking: starting with an Xbox 360 that entered the worst possible fight scenario, with very dominant brands, to settle there. Also Kinect or some peripherals are the practical example of this virtue of the company.

So there is no reason, at least as far as the ability to do it, not to make a mobile phone that is the best promoter of its operating system: they are capable enough to develop competent hardware and maybe higher than other manufacturers.

It would not be a new bet: we can think of one similar to what Google did when presenting the Nexus One; offer a phone capable of taking full advantage of the operating system carrying state-of-the-art hardware and that its life time lasts for a long time. Of course, this leads us to the other side of the coin.

Surface Phone, why not?

The similarities with Google break down when we analyze why the search engine company launches its own devices or at least sponsors a hundred brands for their manufacture (the purchase of Motorola and its subsequent global reorganization are also in that line): What Google does is port Android in a clean way on the Nexus, without adding any customization, without removing or adding anything at all.

We cannot say that Microsoft needs to manufacture a mobile to install its operating system in a clean way, since this, in all the mobiles that have been installed, both in previous versions and in the next to come out, it hasn't had any customization layer on top of it.

Another strong reason for the denial of this possible Surface Phone is also linked to the manufacturers. Nokia saved itself from death in mobile phone manufacturing by jumping on the Windows Phone ship, and it did it in a very smart way, betting big on unique technologies that were waiting to be harnessed in an operating system with strong control of both its ecosystem and user experience.

On the other hand we see that HTC likewise, it has entered strongly with the bet of Windows Phone: its last two mobile phones presented enjoy a fresh air and they want to show in a quite simple way the complexity of the operating system.

So with these two vendors, what hardware would Microsoft need to show for its operating system to boast features that haven't been exploited? It seems to me that there is none, we have wireless charging, Pureview, striking designs and competitive prices, so on this side you don't need to show anything.

Surface Phone, a two-sided coin

For now we cannot give a conclusion on this issue, since although some bet and assure that Microsoft is already around the corner with a mobile, the company reserves to say that now they are focused to bring Windows Phone 8 together with its partners and nothing else.

But on the other hand we see that the tablet Surface gives us clues about how unpredictable the company can be, to which perhaps Do not launch a mobile to compete with your customers, but only do it for strategy and that's it.

Image | Jonas Daehnert