News · 29 Oct 2010 · MTW Editorial Team
As you probably already know Microsoft has currently only certified one chipset manufacturer for Windows Phone 7 (Qualcomm) and only one SoC model is being used in the first batch of WP7 devices: the QSD8250 Snapdragon. The company has previously announced that this was meant to change in the future but so far nothing new has been said on the this subject. Microsoft’s decision to go with only one chipset manufacturer is obviously a good thing when it comes to hardware and software compatibility between all WP7 devices. It’s because of this that Microsoft was able to pump out one of the smoothest and snappiest OS (and UX) this fall.But as it is always the case in technology, things evolve quickly and MS will now have to start supporting Qualcomm’s newest chipsets ( like the ones found on HTC’s latest Android devices; MSM8x55, MSM7X30) and because OEMs don’t like to be controlled that way Microsoft will also have to decide whether they certify other Chipset Manufacturers or not. For example, even-thought Samsung builds its own mobile SoCs (like the Hummingbird found in the Galaxy S) they were”forced” to use Qualcomm’s QSD82500 on their WP7 devices (Focus and Omnia 7). Texas Instrument, makers of the TI OMAP line of mobiles SOC found in several high profile mobile phones (principally Motorola’s stuff lately) has recently expressed its desire to get into the Windows Phone 7 party:
Going forward, TI’s focus will shift to include other tablets, the open-source MeeGo platform and, possibly, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, says Greg Delagi, senior vice president and general manager of the company’s wireless business unit. […]That crop of phones won’t include any Windows Phone 7 devices, even though TI has worked with Windows Mobile handsets in the past. Based on Microsoft’s specifications, the first batch of WP7 phones runs exclusively on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform. Delagi hopes Microsoft will relax its guidelines and let TI in. “Microsoft will have to address questions of platform diversity,” he says. “Right now, it’s requiring manufacturers to lock in to a single architecture.”
Being locked to one single Chipset manufactured is a good thing for developers but business wise this can be risky if this manufacturer screws up something. So it’s entirely up to Microsoft to decide whether it should open up a bit at the risk of making the WP7 ecosystem a bit more fragmented.
source: forbes
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