Why doesn't Microsoft Sell Windows Mobile?

I got this question e-mailed to me as a response my posts reviewing WM6 and using it as a GPS device. So do we offer the OS independently? Unfortunately we do not.

Here is why, in the US primarily mobile carriers subsidize the costs of the phones to get more market share. In turn to them fronting a lot of the cost on the phone they lock customers into 1 to 2 year agreements.

So what does this have to do with WM6? Actually quite a bit. The mobile carriers customize the phones and provide their own software as well. At the end of the day not all WM phones are of the same standard specification, they veer slightly. This give carriers the upper hand.

The upgrades must come from operators in the US, and not all devices will have upgrades. In February we announced T-Mobile will make a WM6 upgrade available for free for the Dash. There are no other announcements yet, but CTIA is next week so there may be some more announcements.

For more information Gerardo Dada has more information on his blog: https://blogs.msdn.com/devmktg/archive/2007/03/23/windows-mobile-6-upgrades-for-your-phone.aspx