I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re all being bombarded lately with news on how Windows Phones are the best thing since sliced bread, and how Microsoft is suddenly (and amazingly) doing the right thing despite its infamous reputation.

In case you were living under a rock for the past few weeks, let me explain… What is happening is that it seems that Microsoft has now the editors of most large websites (don’t want to name them – just do a little search on Google and you’ll know them) on the payroll. These editors are filling the Internet with trash articles on how it’s weird that Microsoft is doing the right thing for the first time (notice the pathetic strategy), and how Windows Phones are superior to other Smartphones (Android, iOS) but everyone out there is either too anti-Microsoft or has been drinking the Android/iPhone kool aid for a long time now to notice these superior Windows Phones.

Well, let me tell you why I’m confident that this is a paid hype:

• Articles written about the Windows Phone seem to be timed with Microsoft’s announcement that it has entered the Smartphone market as the 3^rd main player – the other two are Apple and Google/Android (Notice how Microsoft has completely ignored RIM).

• All articles seem to be written in the same way: Microsoft always does the wrong thing but this time it is doing the right thing but nobody’s noticing or nobody cares.

• All articles are focusing on the Mosaic like homepage on a Windows Phone (which, as we all know, is something that hasn’t been done before [add sarcasm here]) where you have the world at the palm of your hand (now where did we hear that before?).

• None of these articles mention any serious drawbacks of Windows Phones, and are taking the best of Windows Phones (such as the Nokia Lumia) as an example.

• None of these articles (not a single one of them) has mentioned the exorbitant price that one has to pay for a half-decent Android-comparable Windows Phone (that price can be as high as $800).

Now, of course, if you have been reading blogs for a long time, you know that the concept of paying an editor to say something good about a product or a service is not something new (in fact, most big blogs are mostly funded by bribes), but this time, it is done by a huge company that is not known to do that (is Microsoft learning these marketing strategies from Apple?). It is also done on a massive scale! Microsoft has a lot of money to throw and they are willing to throw billions (not just $30 million – if you know what I mean) as they know that winning the Smartphone war is crucial to their very existence in 10 years from now. We all know that the future is mobile, and so does the Microsoft.

But can Microsoft win this war? Although I think it’s too late for the party, I still believe Microsoft has a chance, if they do the following:

• Continuing with the media bribing strategy, especially the online social media. It does work!

• Forcing manufacturers to price their Windows powered smartphones reasonably – the prices now are just outrageous.

• Re-thinking their strategy for charging a huge premium for their Windows certified devices.

• Entering the tablet market – it is very important to do so as they need to complement their Smartphone business.

I think it’s possible that sometime in the future (I’m talking in a few years from now), that the Smartphone war will be solely between Google and Microsoft. I’m confident that Apple will drop the ball at one point or the other. So, the success of Microsoft is inversely proportional to that of Google (and we all know how easy it is for Google to fail – again, sarcasm).

I personally don’t care who wins the war, but I don’t want to overpay to buy a decent phone, and I certainly don’t want to see a bluescreen on my phone all of a sudden!

This article (as well as all other articles on this website) is an intellectual property and copyright of Fadi El-Eter and can only appear on fadi.el-eter.com.