Is Microsoft About to Multi-Touch a Nerve with Apple?

By MG Siegler

Zune fans (all 12 of you), I have some bad news. There will be no new Zune announcement in June, apparently that was just a mix up on Microsoft’s (MSFT) part linking to the wrong Twitter account. More importantly, it also means there will be no ZunePhone announcement of any kind. But there are still potentially some new details on that front Wednesday thanks to ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley.

Foley claims that a “trustworthy source” has given her the hardware specs for Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, believed the project Microsoft is calling “Pink.” While it may not be exactly a “ZunePhone” per se, Pink is thought to be a project to build a more iPhone-like mobile device that uses the Zune software mixed with Windows Mobile — though it would likely be built by a third party. Like Google (GOOG) with Android, it’s thought that Microsoft would create an outline of specs it would like to see from hardware vendors, and that’s what this list Foley has is. And it’s very interesting for a few reasons. None bigger than the word, “multi-touch.”

The specs include an ARM processor, at least 256MB of RAM, at least a 800×480 3.5″ display, a 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, WiFi and Micro USB and 3.5mm audio jacks. All of those sound great — the screen in particular sounds nice. But the real key is this line in the core requirements: “Touch: Multi-touch required.”

So that’s not just multi-touch as an option, that’s multi-touch being a central point of the project. Up until now, Apple’s iPhone has been the only mobile device with multi-touch support. But very shortly Palm (PALM) is set to launch it in the Pre. For those who haven’t been paying attention, this has caused a lot of drama on the web as Apple’s COO Tim Cook made comments many viewed as hostile towards Palm when discussing the fact that Apple would protect its IP — it has several patents on multi-touch for mobile devices.

But Apple (AAPL) doesn’t own all multi-touch patents, and Microsoft of course, already has a multi-touch piece of hardware with its Surface computer. Multi-touch support is also baked into Windows 7, and would appear to be a key part of Microsoft’s strategy going forward. But how that will play out in the mobile realm remains to be seen. Aside from the thinly veiled threats towards Palm, Apple supposedly talked with Google about not including multi-touch support in Android, before the first of those phones launched last year.

Palm coming into the multi-touch world is one thing, but Microsoft entering the realm in the mobile world is something else entirely. I can’t wait for the next Apple earnings call to hear Cook address this one! That is of course, if these specs are legit.

Original post

Comments

[jack dee:]

""Apple supposedly talked with Google about not including multi-touch support ""

if this is true then the justice dept does need to look at the shared board members of aapl and goog.

May 13 11:11 AM

[Jimbot:]

As with all things Microsoft, a spec is one thing and an actual working, shipping product is entirely different.

May 13 11:32 AM

[Channon:]

Jimbot, you can delete "shipping", and your comment has merit. For MSFT, the issue is the thing actually working!

May 13 01:43 PM

[another.ana...:]

"The specs include an ARM processor, at least 256MB of RAM, at least a 800×480 3.5″ display, a 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, WiFi and Micro USB and 3.5mm audio jacks. All of those sound great — the screen in particular sounds nice."

Gee who a thunk it, MSFT Windoze 7 mobile in the lead in some areas?

Whoops, several rumors about AAPL's new iPhone OS which is arriving in June, cover all those specs and a plethora of other new spec/abilities. Looks like monkey-boy Ballmer will have to return to his cage & try, really try, to come up with some USEFUL ability that AAPL won't already HAVE by the time MSFT announces that it is WORKING on the ability!

Ayuh

May 13 02:17 PM

[krenshaw:]

looking forward to wm7/wm7.

@ the other ass (anothe analist): well even if apple already has what ever on the market, its still not windows mobile. to the way how you apple people talk it makes me really don't want to be one of you. it seems most of you all has something stuck up your ass and believes nothing another company releases has any merit, only what apple releases.
I'll stay with my windows mobile thank you. I'm glad to hear more info on the platform i use daily.

May 14 04:07 AM

[Jon T:]

Inside story:

1. It took Microsoft 17 committee meetings to achieve those specs.

2. They are forming 47 new committees to investigate further.

3. The result in 2 years time will be a dog based on iPhone 1.

Microsoft is a shameless non-innovator. End of story.

May 14 09:22 AM

[krenshaw:]

sigh, wheren't they 1st to come up with the feature to share songs from zune to zune? isn't that innovative? weren't they the first to have (and i think still the only) that offers tethering by default through their mobile?
the Windows CE flatform goes far and wide, you will see it every single day you step outside your house, even in places you never thought it would be. so how are they non-innovators? I've never seen nothing like MSFT Surface, how is it non-innovative? they used the xbox/360 to bring live and marketplace, how is this non-innovative? before i go on, do you even know what to innovate means? widows desktop is innovative, MSFT's.
it hurts to see the lack of knowledge that floats around the internet, a place were knowlege is everywhere, and this is happening to it. you're like a disease to the intetnet which is rotting the knowledge it provides.
again, Jon T please know the meaning of a word before you use it.
dictionary.com, you can check it there or type word following it with "meaning" at live.com. that should help you.

May 14 12:27 PM

[krenshaw:]

I don't see why people gave you negative votes, it was all over the internet that they supposedly did, and they do have shared board member(s).

>On May 13 11:11 AM jack dee wrote:

> ""Apple supposedly talked with Google about not including multi-touch
> support ""
>
> if this is true then the justice dept does need to look at the shared
> board members of aapl and goog.
>

May 14 12:39 PM

[krenshaw:]

@Jon T
to your #3 point, list what the iphone 1 and iphone 3g has ove windows mobile. I want you to list them as much as you can come up with. don't be afraid. start anytime. the truth of the matter is: there's no advantage you can really list because feature wise windows mbile is king, but eye candy is the iphone. i wrote multi-page essays on my windows mobile formatted properly and printed from it, no computer needed. I can tell multiple features and snareos where the iphone falls short you can list non for the iphone. you should stop your baseless FUD and actually contribute good knowledge to the internet.


On May 14 09:22 AM Jon T wrote:

>
> Inside story:
>
> 1. It took Microsoft 17 committee meetings to achieve those specs.
>
>
> 2. They are forming 47 new committees to investigate further.
>
> 3. The result in 2 years time will be a dog based on iPhone 1.<br/>
>
> Microsoft is a shameless non-innovator. End of story.
>

May 14 12:56 PM

[krenshaw:]

**scenarios**

May 14 12:59 PM

[brewer:]

It's not exactly news when Microsoft copies Apple. If this one happens look for it to have decent specs, but a horrible implementation. Sometimes history does repeat itself.

May 14 01:09 PM

[krenshaw:]

@brewer
could you give an example? of what msft copied from apple and impemented it horribly?

May 14 01:12 PM

[krenshaw:]

if you're going to vote down the comment, at least give a proper reply

May 14 01:15 PM

[jj57:]

Guys, anybody can include multi-touch into any phone. However the screen has to be bigger than 3" to make it worth while. It costs to have the hardware (higher spec touch screen + drivers), so MS better have apps that use the multi-touch capability. To date, the iPhone uses multi-touch in a few gestures only, and honestly there are single finger gestures that do the same job in each case. Gameplaying isn't that conducive to multi-touch since the Gameboy holding style doesn't give you that many multi-touch opportunities, unless of course its accidental. At the end of the day, I make two points - first, multi-touch is a nice to have, but isn't worth the extra cost, and therefore, second, Apple has it in there as a marketing differentiator. The real battle is touch versus keyboard - touch was conceived to make the screen bigger on fixed format size phone ( a bigger screen means more video which means more ads to users etc etc), without the extra cost and thickness of a pull out/flip-out keyboard. If you do a lot of emailing or texting you normally prefer a keyboard, but if your phone is a multi-media player, touch will do. It ain't rocket science. Google, MS and Apple need to choose which (or both) of these markets to serve, and hit them with tailored products, and not try to force one approach to UI into the wrong markets, because its an unnatural act...

May 14 08:30 PM