Qualcomm Says You Should Never Count Microsoft Out

Steve Ballmer makes a guest appearance at Qualcomm’s CES Press Conference

We have recently covered several articles that have different companies complaining about Windows mobile efforts, including vocal Windows 8 hater, Valve’s Gabe Newell. While many companies are whining about Windows 8/RT and Windows Phone 8, not everyone feels so strongly.

Qualcomm, for one, seems to be singing a different tune.

After Qualcomm’s CES press event, Venture Beats spoke with Qualcomm’s CEO Paul Jacobs asking if Windows Phone could really compete against iOS and Apple, Jacobs had this to say:

It’s too early to call the game one way or another. I never count out Microsoft out because they’re willing to put a lot of effort into things, they play the long game, they’ve got a lot of resources, they have a lot of benefits in the sense of tie-ins to enterprise software and Xbox.

Qualcomm is currently the only provider of Windows Phone chipsets, so defending the business isn’t that surprising. Still, it’s nice to see some positive words from a company about Microsoft at this year’s CES.

It is clear that Qualcomm sees value in a relationship with Microsoft for both Windows Phone and Windows RT devices. The more competing platforms on the market, the more money Qualcomm stands to make as well. As always, competition is a good thing.

It’s also nice to see someone recognize that Microsoft is all about “the long-term”, they are willing to invest and hold in there until consumers finally start to receive their products with open arms. Remember that the Xbox wasn’t that much of a success, and yet the 360 managed to attract quite a bit of attention from not only gamers but multimedia enthusiasts as well.

As a bit of an aside, it’s also worth noting that Qualcomm ended up with Microsoft’s slot at CES this year, since Redmond decided to stop actively participating at CES.

Even more interesting, Ballmer ended up on stage after all– coming out to talk about Qualcomm’s partnership and show off a few Qualcomm-based Windows RT and Windows Phone products.

Microsoft has an uphill battle to win over mobile consumers with its Windows RT, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 offerings, but I truly believe they have solid products on their hands if they can just manage to get through to consumers.

What do you think of Windows RT and Windows Phone 8? Conversely, do you think Microsoft should be focusing more on ARM or x86 PC efforts?

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