Less than two months after Microsoft’s KIN phone hit the streets, Big Redmond is packing it in and wrapping up its smartphone project. Microsoft isn’t releasing sales figures, but one insider claimed the total number of Kin smartphones sold is under 10,000, according to CNET.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The Kin was Microsoft’s first attempt at bringing its own smartphone to market after purchasing Danger. Danger is known for its Sidekick cellphone.
The deck was stacked against the Kin from the beginning thanks to issues like a lack of a calendar app, and high monthly service fees. In comparison, the Kin’s monthly fees were in line with phones that offered far more features such as Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Nexus One.
Microsoft isn’t saying if it will be releasing any software updates for the handful of Kin phones that are in the wild, or how long it plans to support it’s early — and only — adopters.