Microsoft is killing its ill-conceived KIN social network phones, just six weeks after launch. The devices were meant to usher in the next generation of smartphone.
Microsoft’s attempt to be hip and cool in mobile is a bust. The company has decided to stop introducing new Kin-branded phones and will scrap the device’s European launch. Instead it plans to integrate Kin into its existing Windows 7 Phone team.
The software giant told The Reg in a statement Wednesday that it no longer plans to launch the Kin in Europe and that it will work with US carrier Verizon to sell any remaining KINs in stock. It’s been reported that just 500 KINs have been sold since US availability in May.
The swift turnabout for the Kin, which Microsoft took two years to develop and whose release was backed with a hefty ad budget, is the latest sign of disarray for Microsoft’s recently reorganized consumer product unit.
Microsoft’s consumer products unit has struggled to offer a credible competitors to Apple’s iPod and more recently the iPhone and an array of smartphones powered by Google’s Android software.
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