“The Kin Is Gone! The Kin Is Gone, Baby!”

Well, it didn’t take too long but Microsoft has decided to kill the KIN and focus on Windows Phone 7. Back in April, Robbie Bach (who has since left Microsoft) rolled out the KIN targeting it to teens, looking to grab fast share from Palm, especially as Verizon was quickly defocusing Palm Pres and Pixis. But the KIN never caught on.

First off, the marketing was just plain bad. The people in the KIN videos all seemed like twentysomethings, and that’s a segment that has fallen in love with the iPhone and Android. of the population that has fallen in love with smartphones. In fact, the iPhone had dropped to a $99 price point and its popularity among middle school and high school students continues to boom.

There also were no apps for the KIN. It provided access to MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter but that wasn’t enough. Kids don’t tweet. MySpace is a shrinking violet, and Facebook alone does not make a phone successful. Microsoft’s extensive market research project around understanding today’s younger generation, a generation where social media is integral to its fabric, resulted in a product that lasted only three months.

So we’ll have to wait for Windows Phone 7 devices to see if Microsoft still has a shot left in its mobile phone or smart phone barrel, but the market is slipping away, and fast.

-Randy Giusto

@randygiusto

#newdigitalcafe

randygiusto@newdigitalcafe.com

508-254-7975