Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Dell curiously missing from Windows Phone 'Mango' hardware partner list, Microsoft says 'stay tuned' (updated)

Microsoft this morning added Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE to its stable of Windows Phone hardware partners, but look at that image above and you'll find one name missing. Yes, Michael Dell's surname is a notable absentee from the group of Mango manufacturers, which prompted us to reach out to someone in charge to see what's what. A Microsoft rep informed us that the company has nothing to announce on that front at present, but urged us to "stay tuned," whatever that may mean. If you're wondering where Nokia is, fret not, it's still very much in Microsoft's future plans, it just got a separate mention. As to Dell? Not a peep in the entire keynote. This comes only a day after a Wall Street Journal article mentioned Dell's intention to reduce its presence in the consumer market and focus on its enterprise strengths -- could an abandonment of Windows Phone be one of those steps?

Update: Dell is not off the list of WP7 hardware manufacturers. Microsoft told us that the Round Rock gang simply isn't one of the "partners ready to go" do the Mango tango right now.