The decision by Microsoft to exclude Vodafone and Optus from the Australian launch of their new Windows Phone 7 in favor of Telstra has been slammed by a senior executive at Vodafone.
Vodafone who earlier today announced the availability of an HTC phone running the new WP7 OS said it was “odd” that Microsoft had decided to only support Telstra in their launch program.
The executive said: “Yesterday we had executives from Microsoft’s PR Company Howorth scrambling to get quotes from us. I think they had woken up to the fact that what they were doing with Telstra was very much 2005 marketing”. “I think they read your two finger salute story and panicked,” they said. (See story here).
The executive also admitted that Microsoft could struggle in their battle with other OS offerings especially Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone OS”.
“One would have thought that Microsoft was smart enough to have had all of the carriers aligned. They are not Apple; they could get away with it as they did when they went exclusive with Vodafone for the iPhone launch in Australia, but not Microsoft”.
Earlier today Microsoft snubbed both Optus and Vodafone by deciding to launch their new WP7 OS exclusively with Telstra. Microsoft executives have refused to say why they chose this strategy for an OS that has nothing to offer than what is already available via several other Smartphone OS offerings.
HTC who attended the Telstra launch also partnered with Vodafone to announce the availability of the new HTC 7 WP7 Smartphone.
The phone which will go on sale on October 21, 2010, is identical to the HTC model we reported on earlier today. (See original story).
The phone allows music, movies or even Xbox LIVE content to be downloaded straight to the handset’s 8GB of in-built memory, or synchronized from a PC.
A HTC executive said “The HTC 7 Trophy has been developed specifically to offer a gaming and multimedia experience, on top of all the social networking and standard functionality you’d expect from a Smartphone. We are excited to offer Vodafone customers in these markets a device which is helping to set a new standard for mobile entertainment and communication.”
Ross Parker, General Manager, Devices and Pricing at Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA), said: “Vodafone will be ranging Windows 7 phones with the exclusive HTC 7 Trophy launching on October 21. The inclusion of the HTC 7 Trophy, as a Windows 7 Smartphone that’s exclusive to Vodafone, further enhances the choice of Smartphones we offer to our customers.”
