The death of Windows Phone and the birth of Windows 10 Mobile

    The death of Windows Phone and the birth of Windows 10 Mobile

    The death of Windows Phone and the birth of Windows 10 Mobile


    Posted: 20 Aug 2015

    It was such a beautiful dream. The openness of Google, matched with the control of Apple. Quality and quantity, optimised apps that anyone would be free to make. All married together with a bold sense of style and the massive branding power of Microsoft, there was no way that Windows Phone 7 could lose.

    And yet here we are: 2015. Five years after the dream once started, yet all that is left to do is pinpoint when it became a nightmare; how did it all go so wrong? As Windows Phone is laid to rest once again, soon to be born anew as Windows 10 Mobile, it is certainly a pertinent question.

    In 2010, the mobile world and its trends were not quite so set in stone as they now are. Apple, having started the smartphone revolution (at least according to some), was focused on the success of its newest device form factor, the iPad, regarded by many as an over-inflated phone....


    ....And now, we arrive in the present, where things are dimmer still. The Lumia line, once loud and proud, has reportedly been trimmed to a meagre six annual offerings. Nokia’s Devices and Services division has been written off, to the tune of $7.6 billion. And Microsoft, once again sensing the way that the wind is blowing, has opted to start again, with the launch of Windows 10 Mobile now imminent.

    “Windows Phone was such a beautiful dream, but now another may begin”

    Kantar currently places Windows Phone at 3.0% market-share in the USA. In the UK, this figure is slightly higher at 11.4%. And yet, when both Android and iPhone almost exclusively dominate the rest of the market, in a pattern that is repeated throughout the world, Microsoft has had to temper its ambitions. Satya Nadella, Ballmer’s replacement, is a canny thinker, and in reducing the Lumia lineup to a mere 6 devices a year, he has both drawn a line in the sand regarding the firms intentions in this area, while also planting the seeds for the future success of Windows Phone. Now that other OEMs have less competition, they may feel more inclined to join the party that was once so crowded with close family members.

    So what can be learned from the past of Windows Phone, in order to best avoid its mistakes and repeat its greatest successes? The lessons are many, but all have their root in Microsoft having been caught resting on its laurels; if its new mobile OS is to succeed, it must pursue its future with a vision and energy that has hitherto been lacking, the doldrums must be left behind.

    Windows Phone was such a beautiful dream, but now another may begin.

    Read more: The death of Windows Phone and the birth of Windows 10 Mobile
    Brink's Avatar Posted By: Brink
    20 Aug 2015


  1. Posts : 1,625
    W7 Pro x64 | W10 IP x64 | Linux Mint VM
       #1

    Shame, but I can't say I'm surprised. MS really need to get major corporations on board to develop their apps for them, if that happens then W10 mobile will be a serious competitor to the other two. I seriously hope that happens.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 46
    64-bit 10240 10 Pro
       #2

    Isn't Mobile just another word for Phone?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 68,667
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Yep, "Windows 10 Mobile" is basically just a rebranding of "Windows Phone 10" to go along it's one OS for all devices theme. Mobile will cover more than just phones. :)
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 3,954
    64-bit Win10 Pro Insider Build 19569
       #4



    - the Lumia really is a neat little device, though..
    - pair it with a Win10 PC and/or an Xbox to see how it flies..!!
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 480
    Windows 10
       #5

    Just a load of rubbish as you can tell by him saying 11.4% is slightly higher than 3%, in what Universe. Also they're not going from one OS to another, just an upgrade.

    Windows Phone now takes up 10.1% of the markets in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the UK. In the same period Android use fell by 3% in those same countries.
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  6. Posts : 34
    Windows 10 Pro
       #6

    I was toying with the idea of getting a Windows phone when they come out with 10 for it, but I don't know if it would be a downgrade from my iPhone 6 plus or a parallel move
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 3,954
    64-bit Win10 Pro Insider Build 19569
       #7

    they really are separate camps..
    it's hard to make a straight comparison..

    the iPhone6 certainly is a monster piece of kit..
    - but it's expensive..

    - I can't vouch for the performance of the higher end Windows Mobile range
    but I do know that the iPhone6 knocks spots off my little Nokia, for performance..

    Microsoft will be announcing their full range of mobiles sometime soon,
    so that may be a good time to start making straight comparisons..

    I just like having the Microsoft Mobile/Windows/MSOffice inter-operability thing
    - just need to add an Xbox One to get the whole kit..
      My Computers


 

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