During the early 21st century, Microsoft responded to the arrival of iOS and Android operating systems with the release of their own smartphone operating system, Windows Kin. The product was a response to Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, as well as Samsung’s growing presence in the market.
While Microsoft had been producing mobile devices for several years, with Windows Phone being their flagship product, they realized that changes were necessary to stay relevant in the increasingly competitive smartphone market. This led to an internal struggle within Bill Gates’ company, as different teams had different visions for the future of Microsoft in smartphones.
Microsoft was also working on another project at the time, known as ‘Microsoft Pink’ or ‘Project Pink’, led by James Allard. This project was completely independent of the work being done on Windows Phone by Andy Lees. Both teams had different ideas for how Microsoft should approach smartphones, leading to internal tension.
Ultimately, Andy Lees won out and took charge of the Windows Kin project. In April 2010, Microsoft Kin was officially presented to the public with a focus on social networks and communication. However, the marketing campaign faced criticism for promoting questionable behaviors. The Kin ONE and Kin TWO devices were launched soon after, but both failed to gain traction in the market due to their lack of features such as an app store, games, calendar app, synchronization with Outlook, and instant messaging apps. The keyboard design was also subpar.
Despite its failure as a product, Microsoft Kin serves as a reminder of the rapidly changing landscape of the smartphone industry during that time period
