In a move of unprecedented stupidity, Microsoft has announced that the next version of Internet Explorer Mobile will not be made available for existing Windows Mobile devices.
Regarding making IE Mobile available as a separate download or update, the rich media experiences that IE Mobile 6 enables require more powerful, advanced devices. That is why it will not be available as an upgrade or direct download for current phones, but rather will be made available on new phones.
I personally think that this is a huge mistake on Microsoft’s behalf, as the Windows Mobile browser market is starting to heat up. It is no longer Microsoft’s home turf – sizable competitors like Opera have managed to gain foothold, and Firefox is already on its way.
Nokia has already begun to eliminate competitors, while Microsoft lets them roam the platform freely. If customers use a new/different web browser once, they are enticed to continue using it in the future. By failing to provide updates, customers are enticed to evaluate Opera or FireFox…which doesn’t bode well for the market share of the new IE.
If Microsoft wants to gain a comfortable market share, an official update needs to be made available. Helping the folks at XDA-Developers crack it (I am almost 100% sure that they will make it) won’t do much for the average consumer, as he doesn’t read TamsPPC and doesn’t even dream of visiting XDA-Developers…
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