With Motorola expected to report grim fourth quarter results Tuesday, the rumor mill is abuzz with speculation on its mobile device plans--in mid-January, the firm announced it would eliminate 4,000 jobs, and after those cuts included a team of 70 employees focusing on the Windows Mobile platform, some onlookers have suggested Motorola is poised to permanently shelve its WinMo efforts. While Motorola confirmed the Windows Mobile-related layoffs to The Wall Street Journal, a spokesman said the job cuts do not signify a shift in company strategy away from the Microsoft mobile OS: "We continue to support Windows Mobile and will have devices out this year," the spokesman said. "Today, our plans remain the same: Rebuilding and repositioning the Mobile Devices business remain a top priority."
Following the October announcement of Motorola's third-quarter results, CEO Sanjay Jha said the beleaguered handset maker would delay a proposed spinoff of its mobile devices unit as it spends 2009 trying to develop smartphones that resonate with consumers--at that time, Jha said both Windows Mobile and Google's fledgling Android mobile operating system were central to the firm's long-range plans, with Motorola hoping to introduce its first Android handset in time for this year's holiday shopping season.
For more on Motorola's Windows Mobile outlook:
- read this Wall Street Journal article
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