Microsoft's Myerson: Android "Still Kind Of A Mess", Windows Phone "A Well-Funded Start-Up"

According to the head of the Windows Phone division at Microsoft, Terry Myerson, Android is "still kind of a mess". Myerson spoke at All Thing's D conference, D: Dive Into Mobile about the progress of Windows's mobile devices and how Windows Phone compares to the competition, mainly Google. Myserson believes that the only entity benefiting from Google's Android OS is Samsung, and that there is "clearly mutiny in the Starship Android..."

Myerson says that while Windows Phone is still seen as just a "challenger" in a mobile world dominated by Google and Apple, it still has a chance of succeeding. He says that Windows Phone "is an incredibly well-funded startup." He believes that with Windows Phone, they had to focus on the global market, and not just the United States. He also points out that while Windows Phone may be behind Google and Apple in key markets, it is seeing "stronger momentum in markets where carriers are not subsidizing phones, such as in Mexico, Poland, and Finland."

Myerson says that both Google, and Apple do well in markets like the United States because that's where they place most of their innovation. They also sell their high-end smartphones at the subsidized price of $200, whereas if Windows Phones sold at the same price, it'd be even harder for the challenger to compete. That's why Myerson believes that Windows Phone 8 had to offer a different experience. Instead of focusing too much on the price, it needed to focus on the user experience.

While discussing the recent launch of Facebook Home, he said that having Facebook Home on Windows Phone isn't exactly out of the question. He also mentions that Google may have a full team working to "squash" Facebook Home on the Android operating system, in order to stop it from overtaking its platform. While discussing the possibility of a Microsoft smart watch, Myerson declined to comment, however, he did joke by saying you could "strap the Surface onto your wrist and call it a watch."

Instead of focusing on attacking Android OS, or giving vague answers about the future of the Windows Phone platform, Myerson should have focused more on what he, and the Windows Phone division, plan on doing to make Windows Phone 8 more competitive and innovative in key markets. Be sure to check out our review of Windows Phone 8 here.

[via All Things D]