The people that will end up hurt most are the LOB apps written on the older Windows mobile systems, not because of the EOL on these items, but the EOL on the OS. Nothing in the new Windows handheld OS addresses these issues. I maintain a program that uses symbol handheld scanners for a large warehouse. I have to keep VS 2008 because the latest dev system, VS 2010, dropped support for those systems.
In the end a consumer can just buy a new phone and be on their way. Not so with businesses that have specialized software developed for those devices.
It isn't the first time that MS has abandoned an entire segment and it wont be the last. (Silverlight devs take note). It wasn't many years ago that .net on the handheld was "the way" to develop mobile applications. I make my living in MS technologies, but it is unsettling to watch them develop a technology, tout it as the "best", then steamroll it a few years later.
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