This is a column about Windows Mobile devices and about gaming consoles. You might wonder what these devices have in common. Availability is the answer. Over the last months I have been at many conferences where people were asking when they could get their hands on Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. Even though the software was released, devices were not or hardly available. Of course this has to do with the complex way those devices are brought to market. First Microsoft has to release a version of the Windows Mobile platform. That will be used by device manufacturers to get it running on their devices, but they have to test, write specific device drivers for their devices and maybe extend functionality of the platform with a couple of their own applications. For phone capable devices the story is more complex, telecom operators have to extensively test the new devices because they want to make sure that those devices are secure and that they work well on their network. Therefore it can easily take a couple of months after a new version of the Windows Mobile platform has been released until the first devices hit the market. Luckily that is exactly what is happening right now. A completely different story is the new Xbox 360. The expectations for this gaming console are very high. Over the last two weeks I have talked to several people who wanted to have a brand new Xbox. There were even waiting lines at stores where they sell the device. It turns out that demand is so high that people who want to buy a new Xbox 360 right now might have to wait until after the Holiday season. It is great that the demand for this new device is so high. At the same time, with a killing competition, it is bad that there are simply not enough devices available. Many people are disappointed right now and only time will tell if these people have the patience to wait until enough devices become available. It seems to me that selling gaming consoles is something that is underestimated by Microsoft right now. After all, this Holiday season is a great time to sell many devices and it is pretty bad when those devices are not available. Is selling hardware too hard for a software company? Time will tell but sitting here at my desk I surely think so. Even though I am not a gamer I am curious to see the new Xbox in action. If I only knew where.

Maarten Struys