Windows Mobile 6.5 To Be Renamed Windows Phone “Classic”

Cars. Coca Cola. Bo Derek. Mickey Mouse. Transformers on a Saturday Morning. These things are classic. But the renaming of Windows Mobile 6.5 to “Classic” is kinda weird. How about calling it Windows Mobile “Immensely Disliked”?

From Wikipedia, “classic” means the following:

The word Classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective (a classic car) or a noun (a classic of American literature). It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artefacts. In commerce, products are named ‘classic’ to denote a long standing popular version or model, to distinguish it from a newer variety. Classic is used to describe many major, long-standing sporting events. Colloquially, an everyday occurrence (e.g. a joke or mishap) may be described as ‘an absolute classic’.

I get that Windows Mobile 6.5 can’t just be killed off. That corporations need to have it supported. That most hardware out there won’t simply upgrade to the new OS. That it’s the older of the existing platforms and that its getting a branding makeover from “6.5.3″. And that “classic” is the most optimistic label for “old”. But such branding in the face of incontrovertible “dislike” comes off as desperate or ignorant. And most importantly, unnecessary since Steve got a brand new Smartphone called Seven. Embrace the new, especially when the new is shiny and awesome, Redmond friends. The 6.5.3 moniker’s inability to stick in any non-geek’s mind is something positive.

[JKontheRun and IstartedSomething]