Windows Phone is dead. Now what?

[simplezz]

Honestly it's been dead for sometime. The only reason it even exists is because Microsoft refuses to admit defeat and continues to pour billions into it. I suppose you could call it a PR exercise. Another reason of course is that without a mobile effort themselves, they might be viewed as just another patent troll.

[+therealDamien Subscriber¹]

microsoft needs to relies they cant compete with apple. 

 

hell I have an android and I cant compete with apple. everyone I work with owns apple phones.

 

they should just stick with windows computers/laptops 

 

just stop

 

stop making windows mobile builds and focus more on computer builds.

 

 

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

On 29.1.2016 at 10:33 PM, Active. said:

Paul Thurrott chiming in:

...and now Ars with their own gloomy take: The fight for a third-best smartphone OS has been lost. By everyone.

 

Quote

To be an existing Windows Phone 8.1 user is to sit by and watch while Microsoft ports every selling point of Windows Phone as a platform to iOS and Android. [...]

 

if you’re recommending a smartphone to someone in 2016, Android and iOS can do pretty much anything that anyone needs to be able to do. Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 cannot, and they’re best left to people who care more about brand loyalty than functionality. [...]

 

With Windows Mobile fading, there’s essentially no hope that any third-party operating system will ever gain the critical mass of users it would need to compete with iOS or Android. [...] the lack of a strong third pillar in the mobile world [...]is bad for everyone

 

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

 

Windows Phone market share sinks below 1 percent

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/23/11743594/microsoft-windows-phone-market-share-below-1-percent

 

Say what you will about Windows Phone. And I can't say that I personally was much of a fan. But I'm not at all looking forward to an Android-only ecosystem. Hopefully Apple at least will continue to provide strong (profitable) competition in the mobile space and Microsoft will come up with something at some point.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

Microsoft won PC but lost mobile, what now?

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/25/11767200/microsoft-mobile-past-and-future

 

Another attempt at answering the question posed by this thread. They trace the problem back to Vista and even further back. I've been criticizing this for a long time:

 

Quote

Microsoft was obsessed with having Windows everywhere.

Quote

Windows Phone's constant reboots were all part of a strategy to get to a single version of Windows across PCs, tablets, and phones. It was an admirable strategy, but consumer confidence was hit time and time again as a result.

Quote

Microsoft chased after the iPad with Windows 8, just like it had chased after the iPhone with Windows Phone 7. The result after this hectic scramble is Windows 10. Microsoft has finally reached its goal of Windows everywhere, but it's a little too late for its mobile ambitions.

Quote

Microsoft is now facing the reality that people don't need Windows on their phones. That's a reality that has always scared the software giant, and it's now finally time for the company to embrace it, move on, and make great software for iOS and Android devices. 

 

As the first commenter on one of Ars Technica's recent articles about 'Windows Everywhere' put it:

 

Quote

It's a little ironic that in the summer they have achieved Windows everywhere, that it would coincide with my first summer of Windows nowhere.

 

[TAZMINATOR]

Each company has ups and downs....   (development, marketing, whatever you call it, no matter what it is) that they have own mistakes or get in bad timing, etc.

 

MS will do better when the time is right with their new devices and OS gets matured enough for desktop and mobile.

 

Remember, when Android was released ... they were struggling and the customers were having problems with the devices such as freezing, rebooting, etc... and Google has improved a lot since. Now where they are at...  Their userbase has grown since.

 

Apple has improved since iPhone 3G.      Of course some iOS devices have problems in 9.x  but hopefully they will do better when iOS 10 (or whatever they call it) comes out.  

 

Keep it in your mind...  each company has mistakes... especially ups and downs.. 

 

 

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

21 minutes ago, TAZMINATOR said:

 MS will do better when the time is right with their new devices and OS gets matured enough for desktop and mobile. 

When is the time right? I don't really see how the OS can get mature without anyone using it. Someone in the Verge comment thread posted the progression of Windows Smartphone OS market share.  

 

Quote

Microsoft Windows Smartphone OS Market Share over the Past 10 Years
2006: 12%
2007: 12% (iPhone launched)
2008: 11%
2009: 9%
2010: 5%
2011: 3% (Nokia joins Windows ecosystem)
2012: 3%
2013: 3%
2014: 3% (Nokia sells handset business to Microsoft)
2015: 2%
2016: 1% (optimistic estimate, may end up below 0.5%)
Source: TomiAhonen Consulting May 2016
The above may be freely shared

 

[Draconian Guppy]

Who cares, let microsoft bleed money, keep some competition 

[Boo Berry]

This doesn't surprise me at all.

[fusi0n]

Time to pull the plug.

[TAZMINATOR]

1 hour ago, Active. said:

When is the time right? I don't really see how the OS can get mature without anyone using it. Someone in the Verge comment thread posted the progression of Windows Smartphone OS market share.  

 

 

Look at Android with small userbase back in the day... now look where they are at.

 

Just wait and see... MS will do something about that and make it grow somehow if they plan to make some changes to OS/devices.

 

 

If they are not able to grow, then they will consider to shut it down and do something else.

[Yogurth]

On 5/26/2016 at 9:44 PM, TAZMINATOR said:

Look at Android with small userbase back in the day... now look where they are at.

 

Just wait and see... MS will do something about that and make it grow somehow if they plan to make some changes to OS/devices.

 

 

If they are not able to grow, then they will consider to shut it down and do something else.

Microsoft already gave up on  mobile space in this form. If Surface phone ever arrives it won't be mass market device, but rather a niche one with super high price tag since Intel Atom is dead and core M is both too expensive and too power hungry. It is clear that UWP will stay on PC/tablet space and that is one more reason to think twice about Windows phone.

[d5aqoëp]

On 5/26/2016 at 10:49 PM, Active. said:

Microsoft won PC but lost mobile, what now?

They won PC at what cost? 

 

Forcing unwilling gullible users to accept upgrade. Building extreme amount of telemetry sending code into windows 10. People hated the so called Modern interface which is slower to respond and clunky as hell. The hate is going on since Windows 8. But did they learn from it? No, instead, they are hellbent on replacing the (once nice) interface of Windows 7 with this rejected piece of turd. 

 

The insane amount of bad-will has been generated. So many unpopular decisions will continue to cause biggest damage in the long run.

[adrynalyne]

6 hours ago, Chitale said:

They won PC at what cost? 

 

Forcing unwilling gullible users to accept upgrade. Building extreme amount of telemetry sending code into windows 10. People hated the so called Modern interface which is slower to respond and clunky as hell. The hate is going on since Windows 8. But did they learn from it? No, instead, they are hellbent on replacing the (once nice) interface of Windows 7 with this rejected piece of turd. 

 

The insane amount of bad-will has been generated. So many unpopular decisions will continue to cause biggest damage in the long run.

You are joking right? They won the PC far before telemetry existed  or any upgrade shenanigans or even Aero. 

 

 

I still have most of my family on Windows 7. Despite the reports, it doesn't seem to be as forced as you and I are led to believe. They aren't using apps to prevent the upgrade because they don't know how. They aren't disconnected from the net so...dunno. 

 

The scenario of doom and gloom

portrayed on tech blogs is largely limited to those tech blogs with forums  that complainers flock to (social media as well). Nobody goes around singing the praises of anything (well maybe @Dot Matrix ) but complainers always air their grievances. They naturally think they are the majority as well. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2016 by adrynalyne

[Anibal P]

6 hours ago, Chitale said:

They won PC at what cost? 

 

Forcing unwilling gullible users to accept upgrade. Building extreme amount of telemetry sending code into windows 10. People hated the so called Modern interface which is slower to respond and clunky as hell. The hate is going on since Windows 8. But did they learn from it? No, instead, they are hellbent on replacing the (once nice) interface of Windows 7 with this rejected piece of turd. 

 

The insane amount of bad-will has been generated. So many unpopular decisions will continue to cause biggest damage in the long run.

 

The one common thing about those supposedly "forced" to upgrade has been so called tech savvy people doing stupid things, as if they WANT it to happen in a major way to prove a point 

 

I know of NO ONE who has been forced to upgrade, and I personally know a few ignorant types who are still avoiding it because dumb 

[Hum]

There's always that chip they can implant in the brain to make us part of the Collective.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

Sort of, kind of, finally confirmed by Joe Belfiore:

 

 

 

[nekrosoft13]

On 1/28/2016 at 6:34 PM, Jim K said:

I think with the rising popularity/sales of Microsoft's Surface ... they really need to release a phone under that name.  At the same time...they can not expect to sale the devices at equal to or higher than the competitions price ... or people will not jump ship. 

 

I wouldn't call Windows Phone dead yet as Anibal said ... Microsoft is keeping it on life support.  It will be dead when they've decided that enough is enough...which could be much sooner than later. 

surface name won't help... at most they might get .5% world market share.

 

Main reason why Windows Phone died were:

1) phone had horrible specs

2) "windows" name, people don't associate "windows" with stability, security etc.. and after windows mobile crap, why would anyone buy another windows cell phone

3) Interface sucked, there is no other way of saying it, the metro square interface was generally disliked by everyone

4) and the above 3 reasons, brings us to 4th reason, no apps.

 

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

11 minutes ago, nekrosoft13 said:

surface name won't help... at most they might get .5% world market share.

 

Main reason why Windows Phone died were:

1) phone had horrible specs

2) "windows" name, people don't associate "windows" with stability, security etc.. and after windows mobile crap, why would anyone buy another windows cell phone

3) Interface sucked, there is no other way of saying it, the metro square interface was generally disliked by everyone

4) and the above 3 reasons, brings us to 4th reason, no apps.

 

 

I made those comments January of 2016. 

 

[seta-san]

windows mobile 10 does operate objectively worse than windows phone 8. it pisses me off when I see the change logs on the betas that there is nothing but security fixes and fixes for corporate users such as vpn fixes

[nekrosoft13]

6 hours ago, Jim K said:

I made those comments January of 2016. 

 

didn't see that... anyway, the only move left for MS is to do with blackberry did.

 

Fork the android, use android to make your "own" os that would be compatible with all android apps, and they do that, for whatever is holy don't call it windows and get rid of the stupid squares.

 

[DConnell Member]

On 10/8/2017 at 10:01 PM, nekrosoft13 said:

didn't see that... anyway, the only move left for MS is to do with blackberry did.

 

Fork the android, use android to make your "own" os that would be compatible with all android apps, and they do that, for whatever is holy don't call it windows and get rid of the stupid squares.

 

Including the "stupid squares" is the only way MS could get me to try an Android phone again, even their own flavor of Android. The Windows Phone UI is the one of the biggest things I miss after switching to an iPhone.