Microsoft Explains Why Many Devices Don't Get Upgrades

The first handhelds running Windows Mobile 5.0 are starting to hit the market, and companies are starting to offer upgrades for some -- but not all -- of their current models.

It's only natural for the owners of handhelds and smartphones that aren't getting operating system upgrades to feel like they have been abandoned.

A recent post by Mike Calligaro on the Windows Mobile Team Blog discusses the reasons why some devices are being offered upgrades and other aren't.

Essentially, these are all economic. As Calligaro points out, companies want to offer upgrades, because doing so makes customers happy. However, the percentage of handheld or smartphone users who will actually perform the upgrade is surprisingly small.

"Because there have been upgrades in the past, we know how many people do them," Calligaro said. "And, even though you know a bunch of people who want to upgrade, it's still a tiny percentage of the owners of that device."

Because so few people actually want the upgrade, the cost that companies would have to charge for it in order to recoup their costs can be quite high. In some cases higher than a new device.

Why Does It Cost So Much?

Even though Microsoft does a lot of the work in producing the core of the Windows Mobile upgrade, the manufacturer of the device has to do a lot, too. This includes the drivers, parts of the kernel, and the radio stack.

And once the upgrade has been finished, it must be fully tested, both by its manufacturer and, if the device in question is a smartphone or cellular-wireless handheld, the wireless service providers offering it.

Then, once the upgrade is being offered to the public, companies must offer help to people who have problems installing it.

As Calligaro points out, all of this costs money. Lots of money.

Hope for the Future

Although the current situation isn't popular with users, Microsoft and the device manufactures don't like it much either.

According to Calligaro, the Windows Mobile team is working on ways to allow major operating system upgrades to be installed without the drivers having to be changed at all.

If they are successful, it would be possible for OS upgrades to happen transparently. An upgrade could be wirelessly downloaded to the device and installed with a minimum of fuss.

This would lead to more people installing the upgrade, while at the same time reducing the cost of producing it, hopefully resulting in upgrades being available for many more handhelds and smartphones.

Related Links

• Dell Selling Windows Mobile 5.0 Upgrades
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Upgrades Available for hx2000 Series Models
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Upgrade for iPAQ hx4700 Significantly Delayed

Thanks to Pocket PC Thoughts for the tip.