Microsoft welcomes competition from Open Handset Alliance

Daniel Shen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 9 November 2007]

Microsoft welcomes the competition from the newly enacted Open Handset Alliance (OHA), but believes there is still a long way to go before the OHA catches up with Microsoft, according to Eddie Wu, managing director of Microsoft ODM embedded devices, Asia.

So far, more than 140 Windows Mobile-based handsets have been launched by 50 handset and other mobile device vendors in cooperation with more than 160 telecom service providers, Wu stated.

By comparison, only four out of the 34 OHA member companies are handset makers and seven are telecom carriers, Wu noted.

Global shipments of Windows Mobile-based devices have surpassed 11 million units, with the volumes likely to top 20 million units by June 2008, the Chinese-language Commercial Times quoted Wu as saying.

Wu was also quoted by the paper as stressing that the relationship between Microsoft and High Tech Computer (HTC) will remain unchanged and that Microsoft respects HTC's decision to join the OHA.