Microsoft is testing its own smartphone

Having entered the tablet market with its Surface, Microsoft can introduce its own smartphone. TechCrunch, referring to The Wall Street Journal, writes that Microsoft is currently working with Asian component suppliers to develop its own phone, although it is not yet known whether this device will be released into mass production.

Information about the Microsoft smartphone is still poor, but the report says that the screen of the version currently being tested is from four to five inches, which corresponds to the design of the iPhone 5 and the latest Android smartphones. TechCrunch notes that it would be reasonable to assume that whatever device Microsoft releases will most likely have more in common with its partners' flagship phones on Windows Phone 8, including Nokia and HTC, than with its previous Kin smartphones. Released in 2010 under the branding of Microsoft, they were able to hold out on the market for only 48 days.

Despite the mixed reviews, Microsoft approached the release of the Surface tablet more responsibly. And as the WSJ reports, in recent years, the company has also more aggressively introduced hardware standards for its partners, both in terms of the appearance and stuffing of Windows-certified PCs, and minimum requirements for mobile phones. Microsoft can focus on Apple’s approach in terms of selling hardware and software on its own and controlling all aspects of the ecosystem.
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Rumors that Microsoft is working on a smartphone appeared in June, thanks to Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund, who said that Microsoft is already working with a “contract manufacturer” to create its own phone on Windows Phone 8. Then, in early October, Boy Genius Report said that Microsoft is actually working on its own smartphone, which will compete with partner OEM devices, such as the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920. With the release of Surface, the company showed its willingness to do so, and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop even said at a conference and two weeks ago, that a Microsoft device would be an incentive for the development of an entire device ecosystem on Windows Phone 8.

Even if the phone from Microsoft does not become a sales leader, it can become for Windows Phone what the Nexus for Android series is: a place to showcase the latest platform features, experiment with it and create hype around it. The biggest risk could be the potential dissatisfaction of hardware partners, but so far Surface seems to have not greatly reduced the enthusiasm of Windows PC OEMs, and Elop has already declared its support.