Jason Dunn
07-07-2010, 10:05 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2010/07/kin-fusing-kin-clusion-to-kin-and-fy11.html' target='_blank'>http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2010/0...n-and-fy11.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Get out of the way Microsoft Bob, you have a replacement that Microsoft's Gen-Y employees can claim for their own! It's spelled K-I-N. KIN's demise can't surprise anyone. When I looked at the phone's features, I thought: alright, an incomplete Facebook experience that I cannot improve by installing new applications... and I pay $$ through the nose for a plan. But I've got a green dot and KIN Studio... maybe that will be enough to sell enough units to justify the Danger acquisition and the person-years of work behind getting KIN out. What the hell where all those people doing? I couldn't imagine anyone wanting the resulting iffy feature-phone at a smartphone cost, but KIN wasn't made for me. I was willing to let the market be the judge of KIN. Verdict? Guilty, guilty, guilty."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1278525639.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>The Mini Microsoft blog is a treasure-trove of fascinating insider information about the company; having worked with (and for) Microsoft for years, I can see a fair amount of truth in the things written there. With KIN, sadly, Mini Microsoft seems right on the money. The comment replies to the post are also eye-opening...if even half of what's written is true, KIN was in trouble long before launch and should never have seen the light of day. Another good read on the subject is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-rank-and-file-felt-embarassment-all-over-campus-from-kin-failure-2010-7" target="_blank">found over at Business Insider</a>; it speaks to the sense of embarrassment felt by many at Microsoft Campus over the high-profile failure that KIN became. One thing is for sure: business schools will be studying the KIN debacle for years to come.</p>