Word: microsoft
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With his business under threat from Microsoft, Potter has cleverly realized that the mobile-phone companies would be as nervous about Bill Gates as he was. The history of the PC business showed that hardware companies were caught up in a cycle of steadily declining prices, while Microsoft and chipmaker Intel captured the lion's share of the profits. "I think there is a great deal of concern in many industries that the added value in their industries doesn't get taken away by Microsoft," Potter says...
...EPOC as the basis for smart phones. He offered a remarkable deal, taking only 31% of Symbian and selling the remainder to the three phone giants for $50 million. "Companies like Nokia and Ericsson are concerned about ending up like the manufacturers of personal computers, becoming box shifters for Microsoft," says Martin Butler, a British computer consultant. "Potter could become the Bill Gates of the portable-device marketplace. It's there waiting...
...only Philips Electronics has actually licensed Psion's software for use in a smart phone, but the software has a compelling advantage: Symbian is charging just $5 a phone, while Microsoft charges computer makers $25 for each device that uses Windows CE, according to analysts. Jan Ahrenbring, an Ericsson vice president, adds that Microsoft's operating system "really wasn't applicable for mobile," but Microsoft maintains that the software is modular and can be customized to suit customers needs. South Korean manufacturer Samsung has produced the prototype of a Windows CE phone that it plans to market next year...
...wireless devices. One of them, called the WAP Forum (for Wireless Application Protocol), is designing special browsers to bring Internet data to mobile phones, while a group named Bluetooth is trying to set a universal standard for radio communications between smart devices like palm computers and mobile phones. Interestingly, Microsoft has not joined either group...
...then, the battle between Microsoft and Symbian may have been resolved by the marketplace. Hand-held-computer makers could offer machines with Symbian's software in hopes of making them more appealing to consumers with mobile phones. Or the mobile-phone industry could beat a retreat and adopt Windows CE to ensure that their devices link up easily with existing desktop PCs. Either way, it's likely that the nations of Europe will be communicating with a single standard-- even if they are not yet talking with a unified voice...