Microsoft has withdrawn its Kin range of smartphones after they proved to be a dismal failure.In my post Is Microsoft on the road to Oblivion,I had written how Microsoft’s slow lumbering pace under inept management has made Microsoft look like a laggard in the fact-paced Technology Industry.Competition between Technology Behemoths like Google,Apple and others has gone up a whole new level where Microsoft is finding difficult to compete.Its forte the Operating System and Office Suite of Applications are still massive cash cows,but its entry into newer Internet areas have proved to be a dud.Except for Xbox,Microsoft has failed to succeed in any of the newer areas.With even its core strengths also under threat from the ever expanding Google,Microsoft could soon face a slow decline

Microsoft’s Kin an Abject Failure

Microsoft’s Kin product range was doomed to failure from the very start.Its lack of features was glaring compared to the Android line of products from Motorola,HTC and Apple’s iconic  iPhone.Verizon the sole carrier of Kin was forced to heavily slash Kin prices even as rumors about Kin’s poor volumes was published in Technology Blogs.With Microsoft officially killing the Kin,those rumors have been proved true.Kin lacked in apps,games,developer community all of which have become essential in smartphones today.Even traditional heavyweights like Nokia and Research in Motion are finding the Smartphones Wars tough to negotiate.Microsoft the new kid on the smartphone block had to perform an Apple to make its mark.However Microsoft is no Apple and it has prudently withdrawn its dud offering.

Smartphone Operating System Market the new Battle Frontier

It will now focus on the Windows Operating System for Smartphones.The Mobile Operating System market is proving to be another engaging battle area with players like Apple’s iPhone,Google’s Android,Nokia’s Meego and Microsoft’s Windowns O/S .While Windows is the dominant players right now with Nokia’s Symbian,both seem to be underdogs.The consumers mindshare has been captured by Apple’s proprietary iPhone and Google’s Android Operating Systems.Nokia is trying to fight back with another Linux based O/S in the form of Meego in partnership with Intel.While Apple and Google are ahead right now,its too early to tell who will win in this war.

Microsoft pulls plug on Kin phones – Reuters

Microsoft Corp has pulled the plug on a new generation of smartphones less than three months after the company unveiled the devices in an attempt to catch-up with Apple and Google in the fast-growing mobile market.Microsoft said on Wednesday it had canceled plans to sell its “Kin” phones in Europe this Fall. The company added the internal team working on the Kin phones would be combined with the group working on Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Phone 7 software.”We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current Kin phones,” Microsoft said in an emailed statement.

Uh Oh: Verizon Slashes Microsoft Kin Prices Early – Mashable

Mobile phones from Microsoft’s socially-inclined Kin line are already getting big price cuts just a month after they hit the market. hat’s good news for consumers, sure, but it might be indicative of poor sales for the handsets.The Kin One will drop from $50 to $30, and the Kin Two will see a 50% cut from $100 to $50 as part of a broader Verizon price cut initiative, according to the The Boy Genius Report.The Kin phones feature an innovative user interface that puts visual social activity feeds right on your home screen, and lets you share any item of interest with friends just by dragging it onto an ever-present social “Spot” icon. We were impressed with the design when we first saw it, and most everyone has probably noticed just how much marketing muscle has gone into the brand.