| Windows Mobile brightens Moto's gloom |
Oct. 30, 2008
 In the wake of disappointing earnings results, Motorola says it will eliminate its Symbian and MotoMAGX smartphone platforms -- focusing tightly on its Windows Mobile phones (left) and Google's Android instead. The company also announced that it will delay plans to spin off its mobile business.
Reporting its third-quarter financial results, Motorola said its mobile devices group had sales that, at $3.1 billion, were down 31 percent over the year-ago quarter. This resulted in an operating loss that ballooned to $840 million, compared to an operating loss of $248 million in the same quarter last year.
Overall, the company lost $397 million on revenue of $7.5 billion. This represents a 15 percent loss in revenue from a year ago, when Motorola reported a $60 million profit.
Sanjay Jha, Motorola's co-chief executive officer and CEO of the mobile devices division, said, "As part of our plan to rebuild, we have announced significant actions to accelerate the consolidation of our product platforms and refocus our investment and market priorities. These efforts will result in a more competitive and cost-effective product portfolio."
Jha added, "While our strategic intent to separate the company remains intact, we are no longer targeting the third quarter of 2009, primarily due to the macro-economic environment, stresses in the financial markets, and the changes underway."
Windows holds out hope...
In a conference call this morning, Jha reportedly confirmed that Motorola will kill its Symbian and Linux-based MotoMAGX smartphone platforms. But, he's said to have added, the company will release an Android-based phone for the 2009 holiday season, and a device based on "Windows Mobile 6.5" during the second half of 2009.
Jha's comments appear to represent the first public mention of Windows Mobile 6.5, which Microsoft has not yet officially announced. Previous reports have said Windows Mobile 7 will be released during the second half of 2009, however. (For our previous coverage of Windows Mobile 7, see here.)
"Windows Mobile 6 has not delivered the experience that I think Apple has been able to deliver, but as you look at the plan that is Windows Mobile 7 and even 6.5, I think there are significant new added features which will help the platform," Jha is quoted as saying by eWEEK.com reporter Roy Mark. "We have now targeted new teams which are focused -- in California and Seattle -- to deliver experiences," he is said to have added.
The VC6096 truck computer is the most recent Windows product from Motorola's profitable enterprise mobility unit
(Click for further information)
Motorola's announced mobile devices news was not all bad. The company said it shipped 25.4 million handsets during the quarter, and "16 new products to key markets, including three new 3G devices." Meantime, the company's enterprise mobility unit -- responsible for a bevy of handheld Windows computers -- reported sales of $2 billion, up four percent compared to the year-ago quarter.
Indeed, though the financial results provided no information on sales by platform, Windows Mobile appears to be an area of strength for Motorola, at least judging by recent announcements. In the past few weeks, the company has:- Added to its popular "Q" series of phones with the Q 11 (pictured at the top of the story), a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard device with WiFi and GPS
- Released an interesting Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional computer, the VC6096 (above), designed for cab mounting in trucks
- Announced Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades for the MC9000, MC70, and MC75 handheld computers
- Offered downloadable Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades for multiple phones, including the Moto Q9c and Q9
Further information
For further information on Motorola's third-quarter financial results, see the coverage on our sister site eWEEK.com, here.
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