• Forbes, Wednesday, March 3, 2010 1:48 PM

And then there's some speculation that Microsoft could acquire Palm, Forbes reports. Pacific Crest analyst Brendan Barnicle says such a deal is "unlikely" based on a recent discussion he had with Bill Koefoed, who manages Microsoft's investor relations. Rather, Koefoed says Microsoft is planning to invest $1 billion in research and development for Windows Mobile.

"Koefoed also noted that the operating system from Palm and Research in Motion both have their own set of development challenges," Barnicle writes. Forbes calls the statement a likely response to claims that Microsoft will have a difficult time building a "meaningful" developer community around the Windows Mobile operating system -- something every operating system, from Apple's to Android, seems to rely on these days.

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