Core77

Only six weeks in, Microsoft bins the Kin

By Rain Noe - July 1, 2010

in Object Culture | Design Business

Just a few months ago we asked if Microsoft could successfully pull off their new line of mobile phones, the Kins. The answer came in quicker than we thought it would, and that answer is a resounding "No."

Microsoft has pulled the plug on the Kin just six weeks after the things hit the market. You almost feel bad for them--while the iPhone sold roughly 1.7 million units in its first three days, in six weeks the Kin has reportedly sold "more than 1,000" units. Jeez Louise. In Microsoft's world 1,000 is nothing; that's only 1,000 more units than I sold, and I don't even make mobile phones. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars, and I almost tied them.

So what's the lesson here, folks? I didn't find the design of the objects to be offensive, so I don't think the failure came at the physical design level--do you think they failed at the research level, the usability level, the raw emotional desire level, the pricing level? For their part, CNET says that "despite a few innovative features including streaming music and a Web-based companion site, the Kin phones were criticized for missing key features, such as a calendar, as well as because the monthly fees for the phone were as high as more capable smartphones."

What strikes me most is that despite their investment, they're not trying to rejigger the Kin, just killing the project altogether. Your thoughts?

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Ozmo

14 years ago

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A lot has been said about the Kin's untimely demise, but I still struggle with why it was created (as released) in the first place. First it was something for "teens and Tweens.". That might have worked but...oh yeah, teens and Tweens already have phones. I wonder how many of them were watching Kin ads from their Android device?
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Linda

14 years ago

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Even though my tv was bombarded with KIN ads I never fully understood what the thing was. It looked like some type of pseudo facebook/myspace device. The ads also made it seem like you could only interact with people who also had Kins.

I think it was just the wrong fundamental idea to begin with. It felt like marketing conducted a bunch of focus group studies where teenagers told them they liked social media, so they assumed producing a social media phone would equal big bucks.
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shane

14 years ago

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I have to disagree about not failing at a physical level. I think it does that too. This thing looks like a toy. or maybe more likely, a mobile device for x-box fan boys.
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BRADY

14 years ago

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This seemed like such a lousy, half-baked, idea from the start.
I think most people have a love-hate relationship with their social networking. Not a love, love, love, please give me more, faster, all the time relationship. It was too simplistic to think that this phone would be popular just because it was for social networking and that is in right now.
And anyway, is it really in right now? I feel like it is coming full circle - it was new and exciting for a few years, and now it is becoming a nuisance for a lot of us, taking up too much free time than it was ever worth.
Microsoft never proved to anyone why this was really better than just having the internet on your phone. And I always laughed at the commercial that showed that the best thing this phone allowed you to do was reunite with your ex-girlfriend, and find out that you still didn't get along.What?! That's supposed to sell me a phone?duuuumbbb.
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Bontje

14 years ago

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Don't compete unless you're better then the iphone. Microsoft just prooved what most people kind of knew.
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Lucas Ridgeway

14 years ago

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For me the KIN's most glaring flaw is the horrible typography used on their buttons. It's child-like and illegible. I also find the visual aesthetic of the 'social' interface to be over designed, transient, and far too 'now' to have more than a months worth of longevity. Plus, I the physical design is so toy-ish and 'fun' that it's nearly offensive. Shame Microsoft, shame.
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Chris

14 years ago

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It's a project they really didn't want. It came out of the devices team responsible for the Xbox and Zune. The top guys there got given the punt not long ago.

Whilst the Xbox and Zune are technical successes, MS needs money makers and they aren't it. I think MS is just fed up of pet projects and prototypes that everyone else brings successfully to market whilst they hobble along with no direction in the mobile space.
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R2D2

14 years ago

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R2D2 here,

MS says "valuable lessons learned." I laughed so hard a resistor blew out of my nose. What is MS thinking? Oh, they aren't. MS Kin was a F A I L from the word go. Just one look at that device said "Run" to earthlings who know my Droids. Wise up MS! My Droids are being made by the millions on Tatooine. The Force is with us!

Droids rule. You heard it here from R2D2

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Jason Boon

14 years ago

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Some words of design wisdom come to mind...
"Just because you can make something, doesn't mean you should". Sadly, their research must not have been grounded in real world needs and deep user understanding.
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Joel

14 years ago

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The ID wasn't that bad for the demographic that Microsoft was trying to reach and the social interface on these phones actually looks better than most top of the line smart phones. I'm pretty sure that there were 2 problems. One was definitely the monthly fee. You can't sell a phone nowadays for the same data plan price as the iphone3gs or Droid and have it do less and be slower. Even young kids are tech savy enough to want the best, top of the line smartphone that their parents will buy and lets not forget that they want to play games too. The second was that the whole idea that someone would buy a phone based on the idea of making it easier to keep in touch with your social network and streaming music is ludicrous. Those features are great, but they are called "apps", or home page software, not an operating system. What I think they should have done, or should do now is use those features on their new windows phones coming out soon. The graphical interface looks good and the Zune music player is awesome, just use those things as programs in a broader interface. C'mon Microsoft, do what you do best, write software.
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Shirty

14 years ago

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'kin 'ell... that didn't last long and yes, they were right to kill it - if only to avoid further embarrassment!
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