Windows Mobile 5: How much would you pay?

[jfreiman]

I was wondering....

Being a veteran Pocket PC owner and as of last year a Smartphone owner (SMT5600) I know that it is not typical for hardware vendors to relase OS updates, for free or for pay for any of their devices.

How much would you pay your vendor or OEM (HTC!) for a Windows Mobile 5 update?

Personally, I'd be willing to pay up to $50 for an update but would find a $35 price point more appropriate.

I mean, after all, I paid $200 for my phone and now have a 2 year contract. If the WM5 update would make my phone stay current for another year until I upgrade again (Samsung i300 or future HTC?) that would totally keep me happy and help me remain a LOYAL Windows Smartphone user.

How do others feel?

[Mike Temporale]

I'm in at the $30 price point. I think that's a fair amount.

Unlike the Pocket PC world, we have to deal with the carrier now. So even if Audiovox releases an upgrade, it won't be to the public. It would be to Cingular, and then they would have to test it.

I hope we see some different attitudes from the manufacturers and carriers, but I really don't expect too much. :(

[Jerry Raia]

I'd go to 40. After that I'm looking for a new device.

[jU1ceBoXx]

I'd love a free upgrade.......but would be willing to pay $30-$40 for it!

[SnozBerries]

$30-40

[sracer]

It depends upon how much of WM5 would make it to the smartphone. If Pocket Word and Pocket Excel are included, then I'd be willing to pay for it. ($35) Otherwise, I don't see anything in WM5 that would be compelling enough to pay for.

My SMT-5600 is currently doing everything I needed to do with my iPAQ 2215. :)

[joan_fl]

I think $20 is reasonable, but I think it's more likely to be $50... :roll:

[Santa Fe]

Given that there does not seem to be any substantial advantage to the upgrade until software developers come up with "must have" software and that there is an extreme difficulty in upgrading if one has to deal with the carrier I would not pay anything. Zip, Zero. If the new software was really compelling I'd just upgrade my i600 to a new phone. So far I have not heard of really compelling new software but I'm sure there is some out there.

Because my phone recently did a hard reset all by itself I have found that the really useful software that I use regularly can be counted on the fingers of one hand. So it will take some creativity to build something that would make me want to buy a new phone.

[hubzone]

I'd pay just to keep up