Microsoft never said it officially, but the company has abandoned reviving plans for its Windows 10 mobile. For a long time, there has not been any new Windows-based phone and software update, and now one executive has officially said that the Microsoft Windows 10 mobile is no longer the focus of the company.
A tweet from Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore does not leave anything to guessing as far as the Windows 10 Mobile’s importance to Microsoft is concerned. Belfoire, replying to a question of supporting the platform, said, “Of course we’ll continue to support the platform … bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/hw aren’t the focus.”
Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/hw aren't the focus. ? https://t.co/0CH9TZdIFu
— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) October 8, 2017
The major reason behind Microsoft withdrawing the support is the challenges that the company has been facing to get the developers work for the Windows mobile. Belfiore said that Microsoft even offered paying the companies to make apps, and at times they developed the apps themselves. However, the user base has not been big enough, discouraging the company to invest in the operating system. This made sense also – why would developers be interested in developing the apps for such a smaller user base compared to that of Android and iOS users?
When it comes to smartphones, Microsoft never got it right from the beginning, although it has been producing its mobile version of software for 20 years now. However, the platform has struggled since the launch of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system.
A recent report from Kantar Worldpanel claims that the Windows phone has a market share of just 1.3% in the United States, above only BlackBerry’s 0.3%. When it comes to Android and iOS, there is absolutely no comparison with 64% and 34% share respectively. Microsoft has a stronghold in the PC space, but even that could not rescue the Windows 10 Mobile. What came as a surprise for Microsoft was that even though the company pitched the idea of a seamless connection between desktop, tablet and mobile, users just did not buy it.
Previously also there have been hints of the Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile taking its last few breaths. Earlier, this year CEO Satya Nadella said the company is no longer interested in the “mobile-first, cloud-first.” Rather, the company is more interested in the readily available cloud-based services that can be used on various devices. Microsoft surely hinted that the company is more interested in building better apps for the iOS and Android platforms. An example of this came earlier this month, when the beta version of the Edge web browser was released for Android and iPhones, notes Livemint.
In addition, just a few days back, HP confirmed that it would no longer make the Elite X3, one of the few handsets available based on Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile. Through Elite X3, Microsoft showcased a Continuum feature, which enables a smartphone to connect with a big screen and keyboard to function as the desktop computer.
Despite Belfiore’s comments, one obvious question that is still unanswered is – what about the Surface phone, is it still coming? As of now, there is no information on this, but we will let you know if there is any.
