On Wednesday Microsoft killed the Kin a mere 48 days after launch. It makes you wonder how much Microsoft will be behind Windows Phone 7.
The shock here isn't that the Kin is dead. It was a mediocre platform at best, though it had potential. It is that Microsoft didn't even give it two months. Even though millions of dollars were spent on it and tens of thousands of hours put into its development, MS walked away from it as if it were an abandoned product past its prime.
Part of the problem was the device itself. It seemed to be a love it or hate it device, and more fell into the latter group rather than the former. It was a social networking device that didn't support retweets or seeing your @replies in one place. Forget making appointments with it because there was no calendar.
Another problem was the data plans Verizon saddled it with. You basically got a feature phone with full blown smartphone data prices. Combined with the mandated voice plans, this was a $70 per month phone.
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/07/kins_fate_foret.html
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