MS Exec Jumps Ship
Microsoft exec Charlie Kindel announced he will be stepping down after 21 years with Redmond to start his own company. Most recently he has been the general manager of Microsoft's Windows Phone Developer Experience. This department's focus is on bringing third-party app developers to the Windows Phone 7 platform.
While the platform had the distinction of being the fastest mobile OS to reach 10,000 apps under Kindel's governance, its overall total is still just a drop in the bucket compared to Apple's and Google's mobile platforms.
As an owner of a Windows Phone 7, I am happy with the intuitive interface, Zune support and sturdy design of the actual device. What I am not happy with is the selection of apps. I hate being shown a useful app by those with Android or iPhone devices and not being able to locate anything close to comparable in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.
Is Kindel's departure marked by similar sentiments of not being able to secure developers for the device? Who knows. But it doesn't sound like an overall resentment for the platform. "I may stop using some Microsoft products now that I'm out of here. But not Windows Phone. The BEST product Microsoft has ever built," Kindle wrote in his announcement.
Maybe it was just time for him to leave to start his own thing.
For those Windows Phone 7 devices, how do you feel about the selection of third-party apps? Share it with Doug at [email protected]. Also, I'm researching for an upcoming story on the top startups by former Microsoft execs. Share your favorites with me at [email protected].
-By Chris Paoli
Posted by Chris Paoli on 08/10/2011 at 1:18 PM