Microsoft Pink targeting teens and twenty-somethings, devices launching in Spring?
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 25th 2010 7:50AM
posted January 25th 2010 7:50AM
Few reporting on Microsoft are as plugged in to the day-to-day happenings in Redmond as Mary Jo Foley. So much so that she's apt to write an entire column (or two) about internal Microsoft reorganizations -- moves that can be telling from a company attempting to seamlessly integrate its Zune, Xbox, Media Center, and Windows Mobile products, services, and experiences. While you might find it interesting that Enrique Rodriguez has left the company in the latest shakeup to hit MS' Entertainment and Devices unit, the following sentence presented as fact is what caught our attention: Of course, what she's referring to is the infamous Project Pink, the mystery whatsit said to be emanating from the Microsoft Premium Mobile eXperiences (PMX) group built around the people and technologies nabbed after the Danger acquisition. We're also intrigued by the discussion of Pink in a separate breath from the consumer build of Windows Mobile 7. This makes us wonder if Microsoft is working on a three-pronged strategy that will result in targeted Windows Mobile 7 business and consumer devices as well as Pink phones specifically aimed at teens and twenty-somethings. Mary Jo Foley speculates that the Pink devices might be the first to run Microsoft's new premium Pink services but still be WinMo 6.x based -- if true then we could see a launch this quarter, no need to wait for Windows Mobile 7 which isn't expected until the end of the year. How many days until Mobile World Congress again?"Pink is the codename for both the set of premium mobile services and one or more Windows Mobile phones aimed at the teen/twenty-something market."
[Thanks, Pratik]
It's like a Pre that needs to go on a diet.
@Jon Rubinstein
It's okay, Jon. Come cry on my shoulder. I have cake...
This looks like a wanna be palm pre, it looks awful
@Jon Rubinstein
To basically all of you.
Its an OLD render. And use some common sense if you have any. If they can make a Zune HD, i doubt their going to put out something fuggly, especially considering their target audience.
Haters
@Jon Rubinstein
lol, i hope you know that I almost peed my pants with "The cake is a lie!"
Portal FTW!
@Slick
They're being facetious! Basically everyone (ESPECIALLY Palm's CEO) knows that's an old render. However, Engadget used it because it is A) pretty much all that we have and B) because they're tired of the image of the Zune Phone that they've used so much lately.
Somebody kill this thick chunk of fugliness please. It's almost as if they want teens to love iPhones even more. I bet this "teen" device was designed by a 40 year old... virgin.
@TareG
Dude, it's just an old render. We have no clue what it, whatever it is, will look like.
@TareG
Worse. It was designed by several committees of 40+ men.
The first rule of marketing to teens and twentysomethings is that they do not like things designed for "teens and twentysomethings".
I imagine this will be nothing more than a modified Windows Mobil 7 install where instead of clicking on "Media Player" you will click on "My Jamzzz" or other such nonsense and will function as Kid Kryptonite.
@BdgBill1
I think I get it,
get the software right, will get the manufacturers noticed
get the hardware all wrong, and the manufacturers will be clamoring to make something better
@LAY
it will look fugly, and Pink.
Remember the Brown Zune?
@BdgBill1
I think you're exactly right. I mean look at Toyota's Scion brand that was developed to be targeted squarely at younger car buyers. IIRC as of a year ago, more people aged 40+ bought scions than young people did.
@Wesscoast
Remember the Zune HD?
@TareG hmmm sounds like a good idea on their part to me. The sidekick was targeted a that crowd and since they purchased danger my bet would be that they want to zero in on that tween crowd with a semi dumb phone OS. A three pronged approach would take on NOKIA, Apple and Android.
@BdgBill1
Actually, I happen to be a teen myself. I'd much rather see something labeled Media Player rather than My Jamz. In fact, such spelling of Jams is idiotic, especially considering Jams isn't even used as a term for music. Regardless of the look or OS or UI of the phone, I most likely wouldn't want it as it would be a Microsoft branded phone, with WinMo, which is notorious for batteries. Even MS computers have crap for battery life. Not only, I've become extremely used to Nokia, iPhone, and generics such as UT Starcomm phones UI and OS.
So, being as most of other teens are too worried about their appearance towards the rest of the world anymore, and will be just fine if their phone is all the rage, but I'd rather have a GOOD phone. Personally. To each their own though.
Remember, not all teenagers equate. ;)
@BdgBill1
And that's much different from having one 40+ y/o old man at Apple calling the shots how?
@RickStar
Microsoft doesn't have computers nor do they have anything to do with battery life. If you don't want a Microsoft branded device, just say. You don't have to make up an excuse.
@LAY The bottom line is that massive data outages might be just the kind of early warning users need to abandon the Sidekick and get on another device before the decision gets knocked out of your hands like the punchline to a standup's retor. More details of the Project Pink: http://bit.ly/microsoft-project-pink-details
@WixosTrix
Wow this is a long time after this thread seems to have died, but actually, you know well what I meant by MS computer, no need to twist it. If you look at battery life on any computer or phone running a Microsoft OS, typically runs dry faster.
Sure most happenings with shortened battery life are user-warranted, but there's a semi-big difference in the battery life of WinMo versus iPhone or Symbian battery life, or anything of the like.
I still think that thing looks like a cross between a swollen testicle, and a pop-eyes jaw.
Booooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
omg ths thng cms wth a kbrd its so awsm! liek ommmgggg!
Say what you want about so-called "tweens" and that demographic, but they can be a huge market force. We learned that in 1997 with a certain movie about a boat sinking.
@cherryboom
Dude . . . layoff the meth.
@cherryboom So does that make you an anti-Microsoft troll or just a garden variety troll?
@Smart People Play Tuba
That, and teens and 20-somethings will actually buy it; all the adults will just come and post trolling comments about it on tech blogs.
Why would they try to market such an ugly phone?
@TheHeretic
They're not, it's just an older render (a very old one at that). I'm sure Microsoft will take design cues from the Zune HD.
@TheHeretic
Come on. They made the Zune HD. I bet they can come up with something tasteful that that chunky thing. Reminds me of the Palm Pre though.....
@andthemaniam: of course, engadget also made an editorial decision to use that pic for the article. So it's not just the reader's fault... ;)
windows mobile 7v zPhone
7v=tv
z=zune
This seems to fit in with the other rumors going around about WinMo7 being suitable more for business folks this year and moving into consumer later this year/early next year.
2010 - WinMo7
2010/2011 - Pink (Zune/XBox/MC/etc) for WinMo7
Sort of like how Windows Server 2003 and Windows 7 are basically the same core OS but have vastly different services and experiences layered on top.
This has a scent of the Zune HD about it, a great device but several years too late...
I think the smaller of the two form factors is not necessary, but the i don't mind the looks of them. Like how simple they look especially if geared towards tweens. Very smart move if they are released within several months.
(and although I'm not a tween, I would pick up one if they had XBL/Zune integration.. )
Take out the keyboard and the GSM/UMTS radio, make it into a cool touchscreen remote control for my Media Center that matches the on-screen GUI, and I'd buy that.
k, i think they should make it less circle-e. if they sharpened the edges a bit and made it thinner on the bottom it would look as bad. but i would say the keyboard matters more, especially if your trying to target tweens, who text allot.
I love how everyone misses the (lack of) point of the picture: it's just a fugly render that Engadget decided to post next to the story, it has nothing to do with project Pink.
And as if everybody hasn't noticed yet: when it's not Apple, Engadget chooses the ugliest possible picture "related" to a story. The worst lightning, the worst angle, the fugliest render possible. No matter how tenuous the connection.
@DaveBrubeck Wow, you totally nailed us.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/23/microsofts-pink-phones-revealed/
@Thomas Ricker
Have a coffee, you're not making any sense.
If you were really Dave Brubeck, you'd be more laid back. Be cool, brother.
@DaveBrubeck
"Gizmodo has gotten its hands on two images allegedly of the Pink smartphones that we've been hearing about lately. If you believe your orbs, these represent two distinct iterations of devices which the big M is looking at".
Gizmodo: reliable source for MS-related news, obviously.
"allegedly" - yeah, sounds pretty concrete to me
"if you believe" - why should I?
So, a shitty render only tenuously linked to the story. You owned me. I give up.
@Smart People Play Tuba
You're right, I apologise for my unchilliness. :D
@DaveBrubeck
Dave Brubeck should Take Five. :-)
I read both of those articles the other day and don't see the point of this article. She isn't claiming any new intel or insight really. If she said she had a source that was currently telling her these things it would be one thing.
I just don't see how/why MS would release it's own device. Maybe some sort of reference design but nothing for actual consumers. What about the MS execs completely bashing Google for releasing their own? No way they make statements like that and then only a month later go and do the same thing.
Even IF they do there's no chance they would be the ones shown in the pictures as those are massively outdated now. Besides, how do you go from something as thin and sleek as the Zune HD to a chunker like those? Not gonna happen.
@UCFw00t
same reason they did a Zune...
WinMo = Dead
PlaysForSure = Dead...
They have to do it themselves.
huh?
@Wesscoast First, WinMo is far from dead. Declining, yea. But not dead by any means. Second, a DRM scheme (which are all going away anyways) with very minimal short and long-term business effect is vastly different than a mobile OS that has some direct and a massive indirect (through public perception, etc) effect on the bottom line.
After all the hype for the non MS tablet at CES, I'm skeptical we'll see this anytime soon
Being a "20-something," I want devices that targets to "20-somethings and 30-somethings," not "teens and 20-somethings." Reason being, I'm 25, I'm not getting any younger. I'll never "grow into" a device that is meant for teenagers. Maybe others are aspiring towards youth, me? I'm aspiring towards the grave. Hence why my next phone will be the Jitterbug.
Pink. Huh. The code name that AIM (Apple, IBM, and Motorola) had for the upgrade to MacOS in the mid-90s that went nowhere.
Go figure. They can't even think of original code names 15 years later.