back to article 'Microsoft to make its own Surface phones' - mutterings

Microsoft has, apparently, signed up with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to build its own handset next year, extending the Surface brand into mobile telephony. The rumour comes from Digitimes, and tells us that "upstream suppliers" claim to be supplying parts for a new phone from Amazon too, which should make 2013 an interesting …

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  1. NoneSuch Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    (Grabbing box of popcorn)

    This will be a good one.

    1. Shagbag

      MS strategy: embrace, extend and destroy

      "It would be remarkable for Microsoft to launch its own phone, given the job Nokia is doing as Redmond's hardware arm."

      I think that's what will happen. Having pimped them for all they're worth, I would not be surprised if MS acquired Nokia in a 'hostile' takeover bid. MS has a great track record of acquiring things on the way down and I see Nokia as the quintessential opportunity for MS.

    2. Charles Manning

      Naah boring

      Remember Zune? Famous for being a failure.

      Remember the last MS phone called Kin? No you probably don't. It was such a disaster that very few people know about it.

      Now there's going to be three turds bobbing in the water. Who really wants to watch that?

  2. JDX Gold badge

    Why haven't we seen Nokia W8 tablets, it seems the obvious thing to do.

    1. Danny 14
      Pint

      not sure why downvoted as I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps they are having a lovers tiff with nokia.

    2. Charles Manning

      Not necessarily a good thing to do, but a Nokia W8 tablet would be consistent with the whole Elopian strategy.

      1. Chris 171
        Facepalm

        I too struggle to understand why we're not yet lusting after a Nokia tab.

        I'm thinking N8 design cues on a 7 inch device.

        I'd buy one anyway.

  3. spegru
    Pint

    Exciting times

    Seems the MSFT grip on hardware makers is about to dissolve.

    Is it possible to get shares in Canonical?

  4. EddieD

    As Sir Humphrey said

    "You have to get behind someone, before you stab them in the back"

    I've got some extremely long spoons for the Nokia zecks.

  5. FartingHippo
    Thumb Up

    Yay!

    I hope the new phones come with Clippy, everyone's favourite little metallic friend.

    My productivity at work has plummeted since he was decommissioned. Although the internet might have had something to do with that.

    1. Wibble
      Coat

      Re: Yay!

      What's Clippy's name - Olive?

    2. WraithTDK

      Re: Yay!

      Am I the only one that wishes that they would bring Clippy back, in an update form that network administrators could push out to workstations after the tenth time they've had to argue with the same employee that "yes, I promise you, your email account has always had a password?"

      What's that? You're not getting sound from you computer? Are your speakers turned up? You don't HAVE speakers? You get Clippy.

      You can't figure out why you're not getting new emails in Outlook? Can you reach our web portal? Oh, your internet connection is down? You get Clippy.

      You can't figure out why your email's not going out? Oh, you attached your high-rez vacation video? You get Clippy.

  6. Wibble
    Devil

    Foxconn?

    What's wrong with Nokia - I thought Microsoft had 'bought' Nokia to build their phones? Well, at least they've bought Nokia's senior management;-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Foxconn?

      Their agreement did buy Nokia's mapping capability for all Windows Mobile phones... with that secured, why bother with the rest (for now at least)?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Foxconn?

      Was it not more that they "donated" senior management? :)

  7. Lunatik
    Facepalm

    So, you could have a PC that runs Windows Windows, a tablet that runs tablet Windows that isn't Windows Windows, a phone that runs phone Windows that isn't Windows Windows, and now possibly a tablet that runs tablet Windows that isn't phone Windows or Windows Windows?

    Ahh, I get it now!

    Why not go the whole hog and introduce Kin Windows and Zune Windows devices too?

    All options covered, can't fail. Cash or cheque is fine, Mr Ballmer.

    1. Lunatik
      FAIL

      Phone. *ack*

    2. Armando 123

      Hot diggity, it's the five versions of Vista all over again. Becuase that went SO well the first time.

    3. WraithTDK
      WTF?

      I don't get what the confusion is here. The idea is a familiar, unified interface across all platforms. Windows 8 for PC's, Windows RT for tablets and Windows Phone for phones.

      Are you purposely TRYING to make it sound more complicated than it is, or are you just a little dim?

      1. Captain DaFt

        @WraithTDK

        The confusion's on Microsoft's part.

        Just because an interface works well on one thing, doesn't mean it should be the default interface for *everything*!

        According to their way of thinking, since the Dasboard, steering wheel, pedals interface works so well for cars, it ought to be the grand unifying interface used on stoves, washers, TVs and even the kitchen sink, too.

        Phones, computers and tablets each have their own unique uses, and need a user interface that suits each one. Hell, even Apple understands that.

        Now pardon me, my stove doesn't have cruise control, so I have to go keep my foot on the pedal if I'm going to cook dinner...

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        FAIL

        You forgot Windowsx86 for tablets too. Just to keep it nice and simple!

  8. Steve Knox
    Thumb Down

    Yes They Can

    But Digitimes ... can't be dismissed out of hand.

    Yes they can. You know what statisticians call a predictor with a 40% correlation? "Worse than chance".

    1. Ragarath

      Re: Yes They Can

      I was going to say if you throw enough shit, then some of it is bound to stick.

      But your way was nicer.

  9. Bernard

    'An interesting year for hardware if not the platform on which it runs'

    What platform does hardware run on?

    Also re: the 40% correlation being worse than chance comment, that's true for 50/50 calls (eg. The flip of a coin), but not for more complex events. Accurately predicting 2 of the last 5 sets of lottery numbers, for instance, would be a touch better than random chance.

    Whether this source is impressive or not therefore relates to how improbable the events they correctly predicted are.

  10. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Looking forward to the box design

    It's an oldie - but a goodie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    WOw!

    That's genius !! How do they come up with this stuff ??

  12. WraithTDK

    "if Windows Phone fails it won't be down to lack of hardware?" Disagree...

    I feel like hardware has always been the biggest weakness of Windows Phone. Last year, when my contract expired, I wanted to get a WP, but as much as I loved the OS, the truth is that the hardware specs of the best WP on the market just doesn't measure up to a decent (not even top of the line, but decent) Android phone. Typically featuring less ram, lower-grade processors and lower resolution, if WP has one weakness, I think it IS the hardware. If Microsoft invested in making a really high-end phone to compete with the Galaxy S3, The Razr Maxx & The Nexus 4, they would be a MUCH stronger competitor.

    1. Richard Plinston

      Re: "if Windows Phone fails it won't be down to lack of hardware?" Disagree...

      > the hardware specs of the best WP on the market just doesn't measure up

      That is because of the MS culture that dictates how it operates. MS does very centralised development and dictates the hardware on which the systems run.

      For example, for Netbooks to be sold with XP, MS dictated limits on RAM, screen resolution and size, CPU type and power. This was to ensure that real laptops, beyond the limits on Netbooks, had to buy the more expensive Vista or 7. The result was that netbooks became obsolete.

      WP7 would only run on specific single core SoCs that were determined before it was released and were never updated and screen size (800x480) that seemed adequate at that time. So WP7 phones are now 3 years behind the leaders. The same will happen with WP8. The MS development cycle is too slow to keep up with modern hardware development rates.

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