Blackberry is still holding onto their last gasp. But when a monster like Microsoft can see the writing on the wall, only a matter of time.. I believe we will see that Android powered Blackberry shortly. Microsoft has essentially been providing all their software on iOS and android and skipping on windows mobile all together. Something like Blackberry is doing as well.
Microsoft 'restructuring' Windows Phone business, slashes 7,800 jobs | PCWorld
They are developing windows 10 for all platforms and all windows phone apps will get a proper second life as well.... so all those people are not really needed anymore when you just build one os and develop your phones....
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They just wrote off 7.6 billion, it has NO mobile left... It will be around for windows 10 but not after that.. Their phones were already in the manufacturing channels..
Love it.
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Scared to ask, but how come?
I think people are blowing this out of proportion. Microsoft will maintain a presence in mobile.
Future hardware may simply be more Microsoft-ish (Surface, Zune, mouses, etc.) rather than Nokia-ish.
I have it on some authority that the write off was considered a more than acceptable loss. They are willing to write that off ever year until it's successful.
Considering BlackBerry's bankroll, I'd be nervous if I was BlackBerry.
Posted to CB via my Passport | Lloyd Summers | FileArchiveHaven
MS is in a position where as long as they have successful businesses with Windows and Xbox, they can push handsets any time, when the integration between work and desktop and tablet and living room and handheld are all seamless, where I can be doing something on my PC and tap an icon in screen and pick up my phone and carry on without missing a beat... they'll pick up market share. It may be supported by "cloud", but then people won't have to THINK about it.
Too bad they spent all that money before they figured out that there's a ways to go on the mobile hardware side before this can be real, and there's more work to do on the OSes and software side too... give it three years and let's see if the conventional thinking about 'Mobile OS market share' just becomes 'OS marketshare', with iOS and OSX still being sadly distinct, and Android being what it is now... kind-of a mess.
Maybe Apple will make progress uniting iOS and OSX, if they even care to do it... but Google's pushing toward cloud computing with only the UX on the client baffles me as client devices are so powerful they can do a lot more than just render Web pages, so pushing all the computing upstream seems... so 1970's mainframe.
Considering how much Android manifacturers have to pay royalties to Microsoft on every Android device sold... probably pays for WIndows smartphone division..... seeing how much they integrated metro into Windows 10... cannot see why they would tank the smartphone division.....
What I'd love to see is Apple create a killer gaming console. #justsaying
Posted to CB via my Passport | Lloyd Summers | FileArchiveHaven
MS putting Windows 10 across devices could be a game changer. The ability to "pick up and go" could make Windows a true competitor. Apple could probably also do it, but their market share in the desktop/laptop arena makes it less advantageous. Of course, with everything cloud based, this argument is somewhat diminished, but this could give MS a healthy boost in the mobile market.
I agree. Because it (MSFT) can, but more importantly, it has to.
This.
Their mobile offering becomes much more valuable and attractive with full Windows experience across devices. I might even let myself get zuckered into it, it's probably the lesser evil if I had to choose.
Wow, as a Linux geek, I wouldn't have expected myself to say that 10 or 15 years ago. Google's open-source "support" seems kinda fake and self-serving, Microsoft is only waking up to Linux right now (think Azure support)...
*eek* :-)
(still, Microsoft's perennially, perpetually buggy software -at least on the desktop- is a drag...)
� Chendroid for more sales... �
I know of a number of younger people that don't even own a PC, but they have a Mobile Device. Unless MS plans to be a business only platform, they have to keep plugging away at the consumer Mobile Market... even if it cost them a few Billion dollars.
That said I'm pretty impressed with my Windows 8.1 tablet, and I've been using Windows 10 for a few months and really like it. Not sure what Window 10 Mobile is going to look like.... But I LOVE how OneDirve and an Outlook account all just work together to make all my devices one.
What they still need are the APPS....
For some reason (well, actually several reasons) I see apps coming to MS as this Windows 10 integration catches on. Pretty powerful offering tying together access from anywhere, whether that be desktop, laptop, tablet or phone.
Free upgrade for consumers to Windows 10 will start MS evolution. They are beating Apple to the punch to be honest. If Apple had migrated there OSX to iOS they could have really pushed into corporate spaces.
Develop one app and use it on ANY MS 10 device, tablet, phone desktop, laptop, etc. No one else out there is able to claim that.
They are becoming very big in cloud services (Azure platform) and very profitable. While having their handsets be the gateway would have been nice they are doing pretty well without them so why bother?
Picked up a cheap Windows 8.1 tab recently, and it has been a pleasant surprise. My main machine took a bath right after getting it, and I've had to use the tab as my main machine, and I haven't missed a beat.
Can't wait to see way 10 brings.
Fair point.
Not really. As a programmer, I can tell you AWS (Amazon) is much bigger with a better reputation and more functionality than Azure. Cloud computing is still young and Microsoft is far from having this market on lock.
The way I see it, a mobile strategy is needed to counter the Android (and Chrone OS) headways into PC computing. There's no need for two different OSes for PCs and smartphones and it looks like Android is winning in terms of developer interest.
At the end of the day, Azure has potential but it's only one small area of Microsoft while it's entire Windows cash cow is at risk. It's a lot to ask for Windows Phone or even desktop Windows to compete against the entire Android behemoth but the future of Microsoft relies on it.
Personally, I think the layoffs are exaggerated. Microsoft is simply consolidating its mobile and desktop divisions and Nokia is no longer relevant when its other mobile hardware division (Surface) is doing such a better job.
Most of the apps that are unavailable for Windows Phone at this time only have a purpose on phones, not on tablets, PCs or Xbox. For example, the Starbucks app wouldn't be used anywhere except on a phone. That's why I don't think Universal Apps will make much difference in increasing market share of Windows 10 Mobile.
Desktop PC users don't use apps, when x86/x64 programs offer more features than apps.
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Good point.
I wholeheartedly disagree. There are actually very few x86 programs. The few that exist are very powerful, indeed, but there are very few to begin with and many consumers actually never use any of them. What's the most common application used on every computer? The web browser. And web apps have even less functionality than ARM apps.
The reason why Windows RT/8 apps never gained traction are multi-fold. First, the library of apps was absolutely abysmal even compared to Windows Phone. Second, the UI for PC users is not ideal for ARM apps. Android apps is one of the most requested features for Chromebook and Android PC users.
Anyway, the result is still that universal apps probably won't help prop Windows 10, much; but, it's not true that consumers are not interested in using apps like Tinder, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. on their PCs. I don't understand why anybody would ever want to have to have two different application program libraries on their PC and smartphone. It's simply inconvenient.
But sometimes at much higher prices.
In my field if I wanted an electrical formulas calculator for the PC... it was $400. But an App to do the same formulas (or more), can be had for.... FREE or without adds for $10. Yeah the PC version may allow for printing and other import/export features... but for 95% of the time the free one works just fine.
But I agree that there are many apps that won't have a purpose on a desktop machine, and that may hold many developer back. And I really doubt that with less than 10% marketshare that MS is going to become suddenly going to see their store grow. But then who know what will happen. I just think Windows 10 is going to be "different" for them.
Sure there will be apps that are mobile only, but as someone that has used Windows devices forever, I have to say that Windows 8.1 market place for apps is huge for Microsoft (at least a huge potential). Expect Microsoft's app store to exploded. Corporate side is going to eat it up. Pre 8.1 you have a solid Windows 7 that is a probably best described as a highly advanced XP, but just like XP you have to hunt for things to install. 8(.1) market place (XBox) has simplified Windows for soooo many things. Assuming you can find your apps, you no longer have to 'worry' about third party websites and the risks associated there.
I see Windows Market as more like Steam, just without pure play on games. I am not sure how the corporate side will work, but if its done right, it will be a on ramp into billions of devices. Developers go where the money is, always.
Mobile will be just a blip of all this.