Mac support for Windows Phone 7 Series: 'maybe'
By Chris Ziegler 
posted February 27th 2010 5:20PM
posted February 27th 2010 5:20PM
Speaking on The Engadget Show today, Microsoft's Aaron Woodman didn't commit to supporting Mac OS with Windows Phone 7 Series, but he certainly didn't close the door on the idea either. There are apparently "internal discussions" going on as to whether support will move beyond Windows proper, but one thing's for sure: seeing how WP7S uses the Zune client, there could be implications beyond phones alone if Redmond breaks down and loops Cupertino into the party. Saying that it partly comes down to a trade-off for time to market, Woodman concluded with a big, fat "maybe" -- but if they decide to make it happen, we're pretty sure they'd be pleasantly surprised at just how far and wide the love really goes.
Absolutely maybe.
@untitled
I'm guessing all these same people in here believe Apple should allow OSX to run on non Apple hardware.
This just in: Microsoft has no more of an incentive to allow ZUNE to operate on Mac then Apple has allowing OSX to run on a PC.
@user918273645
I always took Zune software as more or less Microsoft's version of iTunes. Which runs on Windows.
So, uh, wat?
@user918273645
Here is where I disagree with you.
Although Apple controls what hardware OSX goes on, Microsoft has never had that luxury. For Microsoft to pass on writing Zune software for the Mac, which they have done thus far, they are giving up the chance to tell Mac users, "Hey Mac users, come get something that isn't as stale and dated as the iPhone. Come use the Zune ecosystem, and get a subscription to all-you-can-eat music, a newer and more fresh user experience and some excellent new hardware."
Isn't that why Apple put iTunes on Windows? To lure PC users to the Mac. This is Microsoft's trojan horse (no pun intended). To try and lure Mac users back to Windows.
@untitled
They chose to NOT have their first generation Zune's play nice with their own Media Center recordings and now we're expecting their new phones to work with Macs? I'd make the Apple fanboys with their inferior iPhones shell out a small bit of cash for a Windows PC if they want to play with what will be a far superior piece of wireless technology.
@user918273645 yet they let ipods work on windows so your claims have NO basis zune ISN'T the OS sherlock
@DaveBach
I doubt it'll sell well enough to matter. Until I found engadget I didn't know of anyone who considered the zune a desirable product. I am guessing a single Apple store sells more iPods in a day than the total zune sales in a day.
I don't even think zune is in the top 5 best selling mp3 players. Guys it's a flop. Why on Earth would normal people even want a zune phone? Even xbox on the win phone is a stretch. How does halo translate from the xbox controls to the win phone ones?
How is zune doing in getting apps?
Android is gonna eat win phones lunch. Apple's ecosystem around iTunes is way too strong now. Apple will translate the iPhone to iPod like success.
Win phone will be a competitor to iPhone like bing is to google.
@user918273645
You're an idiot.
Apple makes profit from Hardware.
MS is a software company.
The only reason they're saying 'Maybe' is because they're annoyed that they keep getting asked about a very successful competitor (by all accounts, 10% of the US market, which means est. 30% of the consumer market in the US).
@dizzydj +1 kind sir
@untitled
Many college students have Mac in addition to Windows PC. Considering that Microsoft is targeting those markets, Mac support is a must.
Even if the person only have a Mac and not a Windows PC:
Mac + Windows Phone 7 = profit for Microsoft
Mac + iPhone = no profit
@jaffreywali "How does halo translate from the xbox controls to the win phone ones?"
That's just it, people hope that xbox will port games to win phone 7 but they won't. Maybe I'll be proven wrong but it will be nothing more than a glorified xbox live app where you can talk to your online xbox friends. If they do find a way to actually get some nice looking games that some how integrate with the already flawless xbox live experience then they will have something great and I think this is why this has a lot of hype. I hope it is going to be something like this cause alone zune pass won't even put a dent in iTunes and the iPhone. It will be a great OS/phone and Microsoft really surprised me with this but they are playing catch up and in the amount of time it took android and iPhone to get where they are it will be a whole different ball game in 6-8 months.
All I got to say is they better have a great line up at lunch and really get their flagship xbox live experience involved or this will just be another competing OS and they will be behind at that. People want apps and they are a long ways from catching apple and google.
Hope I am wrong i would love to see microsoft make something and really compete and further innovation but zune pass/software on a mac won't do it. They will have the same customers they already have and to stop the speeding train that is Apple they will have to take some of their customers.
@Wesscoast Maybe 10% in PCs but the mobile world is a different story. If you think apple is only a hardware company you are ignorant why do you think they do so well it's the whole experience.
@dizzydj
+1 for quality commentry
@dizzydj
Microsoft sells Windows. Everything else is icing. You want icing? you're gonna have your have cake. Got it?
Billions of potential customers outside of a draconian ecosystem, or people who use Macs. Which one would you spend your time on?
@Wesscoast
Were you a revived stillborn?
Apple is a hardware company you say? Thanks for that.
Microsoft is a software company. Correct. Their goal is to sell their operating system. Still with me?. Tell me how allowing people to bypass their goal as a company benefits them in any way?
@Steve Jobs Clone
> Many college students have Mac in addition to Windows PC.
> Considering that Microsoft is targeting those markets, Mac
> support is a must.
Not quite. If the target market already has Windows, then there's a less compelling reason for Microsoft to go out of their way to support something else. Their "target market" is already running Windows.
@Phoenix You couldn't be more wrong about Apple choosing when it needs a new start. Before OSX, Apple was marred in trying to develop an OS not even realizing how to truly multi-task until the late 90s. They made a wise decision to abandon their in-house code base and mode to a unix based OS that allowed them to focus on what they do best, UI. Companies don't decide to just change they do it out of necessity and clearly MS needed to start from scratch with WinPho 7 (Yes I'm pushing that name).
Opinions: http://bit.ly/winphone-7-first-reactions
Yeah, no
I understand Microsoft's thought process here, but, as a Mac user, I don't see why they alienate 10% of the potential market for their products. I recently bought an ipod touch - not because I liked the ipod the best, but because I couldn't use the zune HD with OS X.
I think the benefits for Microsoft would outweigh the time commitment for developing on Mac OS.
@CycKnight It's not really 10 % though I don't think. The latest numbers I've heard, and I can't recall where at the moment, were closer to 8 or 9% in the US but not even 4 or 5 % worldwide. It might still be worth it though, if only to give the tech press, a large portion of which seems to be running macs, an easier time with the product.
@CycKnight I'm betting the number of Mac owners that do not run Windows through virtualization or boot camp is less than four or five percent. Even in America. The only Macs I know that don't run Windows are the Macs at my company. Every person I know that owns a Mac has Windows installed.
@Funderful But something like 80% of computers over $1000 sold are macs. People who buy expensive computers are more likely to buy an expensive smartphone or high end PMP.
@CycKnight Worldwide marketshare is no where near 10%, and a majority of those are quite loyal iPhone users or at the very least wouldn't purchase a Microsoft product (for religious reasons).
Its like trying to open a hamburger joint in New Delhi, if a lot of effort is involved, its just not worth it.
@iCello They might be more likely, I don't know. What it really suggests is that very few people buy really expensive computers. The phone market is huge though and a larger and larger part of the overall phone market seems to be going toward smartphones. Look at the iphone as an example; Apple has sold insane amounts of iphones all across the world, amounts far greater than the number of people who've purchased expensive Apple computers. That would suggest that there is a substantial market out there of people who'll buy cheaper computers but still want a smartphone. Smartphones are no longer the premium products they once were, everyone wants them and you can even get an iphone relatively cheap!
Add to that how things like photos and stuff on WinPho7 seem, though we still haven't seen a great deal of detail, to sync via the internet and maybe syncing with a desktop isn't really that necessary.
But I would agree that MS should probably release the software for the Mac, I mean, MS is a huge company and I'm sure they can spare enough programmers to get a quick port done.
@Funderful Well, it could also mean that the same computers other manufacturers sell for under a grand, Apple is simply pricing above. =p
@Kunta Kinte
Why did you name yourself after that guy in the movie Roots? Weird choice.
@Smurf
That most positively is you. I grew up with Windows; used it for 11 years. I then bought my Mac. I don't ever want to put Windows on here unless I HAVE to. I ENJOY using my Mac, I ENDURE using Windows.
@Smurf
Oh- and all my friends that own Macs do not have Windows either.
@iCello
Bull!!! Parents are buying their kids smart phone more and more. That's the new 200$ pair of tennis shoes. Most of these parents own windows PC's. I work with 7th graders and at least half of them have smart phone. Many have iPhones. Smart phone sales and +1000 computers are not significantly related.
@Smurf I don't and I won't until I see a big change from Microsoft that is why they lost me as a customer it will take something special to get me back. Now the mobile world is very different I love the xbox and would love to have that integrated into my phone. That is where they can get me as a customer they won't get me back on windows I promise you that.
@Smurf I would take that bet.
The average user today has little reason to run Windows. Most things that people feel they need to run on Windows can be adequately achieved by a number of alternatives. It is simply a lack of knowledge of these alternatives that perpetuates the myth that Windows is necessary. Unless you develop Windows software using Microsoft tools or "need" excel for your job, I can't think of a reason why Windows is even relevant anymore. But then again, I do have the bias that gaming is achieved far better on consoles than PC's.
@69camaroSS I just want to get your point straight. You just argued that most of your the kid's parents own PC's? Well, I guess that would explain why Apple only has a 10% market share. You also stated that half of these kids have smart phones but, of the kids parents that don't own PC's, how many of them own smart phones? Your comments might have more validity if you had the answer to this question, although your presumptions seem to be speculative and anecdotal at best.
BTW, @iCello, BetaNews just ran a story a few minutes ago. It seems that, in premium computer sales, Apple now has 90% of the market.
@Funderful
4-5% of 6 Billion + people on earth is well worth it. No maybe's about it..
If they do support the Mac, count me on board.
please microsoft dont drop the ball with this one
They bring in Mac support, and I just might drop my iPhone.
I am a Mac user and own an iPhone 3G. I will switch to Windows Mobile 7 if they support my OS, and I'll possibly even switch to Zune instead of iTunes' bloatware.
@Arreck
itunes bloatware? The itunes experience on a mac is completely different then on a pc. Its not shitty.
I currently have a htc raphael running 6.5 as well as owning a mac. honestly the only sort of support I need is usb support. Let me drag and drop my media/docs/crap into my phone.
If you want a place to sync your win mobo phone, use 'My Phone' or google sync. it would be nice to see support for it, but frankly I dont care.
@Arreck me too! just because i have a mac does NOT mean i cant appreciate microsoft's other offerings. not every mac owner is some fanatical nerd who cant let go of a grudge.
@Auash You are indeed correct about iTunes on the Mac. Having just recently entered the world of Mac, I was impressed with how smoothly iTunes runs on OSX. In contrast, Zune running on Win 7, Vista, and XP has always put a burden on the system. If Microsoft can optimize their own media software for their own operating system I doubt they'd be able to produce anything usable on OSX. I wish they would because I prefer my Zune HD and Zune 80. (thankfully the Zune software runs within Parallels)
iTunes on OSX is a more pleasant experience than Zune on Windows.
@Arreck I use Windows at home and work. I have an iPhone. iTunes on Windows sux rox. It's horrible. I'd give anything to never have to use it, and to be able to uninstall it permanently.
I love my iPhone, but I'm giving serious consideration to switching to WPS7. Especially since I also have an XBox360, and I love the Zune (I had a Zune80, never bought the HD but did lust after it).
I think Win7 + XBox360 + Media Center / Extender + WPS7 + Zune is a really compelling package.
@pmbAustin Indeed, I'm currently Macbook + iPhone + 360, but considering the lower price of Windows laptops, the originality of WM7 and the ridiculously awful last two years from Apple, MS somehow seems somewhat appealing again; they have a coherent full entertainment/technology package now while also staying open to outside innovation.
"Here's our iphone killer, Btw it doesn't synch with your mac." Please MS, don't do that to me.
@cherryboom
what?
@cherryboom
Keep talking, I yawn when I'm interested.
Count me in as well. I'd be very interested.
Count me in if there is Mac support.
@sherif Forgot to mention this:
What excites me most about Mac support is that there will be an awesome alternative to iTunes on OS X. I'm pretty fond of the Zune software, but not interested in making the leap to Windows.
@sherif
The reason why Zune and its ecosystem was produced was to prevent people like you from existing. If you are not a Windows customer and never will be then Microsoft cares a lot less about you then you do of Windows.
Please! Mac Support for the Zune software!