Microsoft Kills New Kin Phone After Only Two Months

CNET reports that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) will end production of its Kin social media smartphone. It has only been on the market for two months.

Microsoft told CNET that “We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned,” the company said. “Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones.”

It is odd that Microsoft launched the Kin. The marketplace for smartphones is already crowded with successful products such as Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry, the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone, and many handsets based on the Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system.

The Kin never had a chance.

Douglas A. McIntyre