Microsoft exec admits Windows Mobile is dead

It looks like Microsoft is finally giving up on Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone. In a series of tweets, Microsoft's Joe Belfore has revealed that the company will no longer develop new feature or devices for Windows 10 Mobile platform. However he assured that Microsoft will continue to support the Windows Mobile platform by releasing bug fixes and security updates for existing users. This will leave many Windows 10 Mobile users disappointed.

One of the main reasons for failure of Windows Mobile operating system was due to the lack of apps. While Android and iOS platform supports millions off apps, the Windows Mobile app ecosystem only has a fraction of it. Microsoft even paid developers to create apps for the platform, but the app developers were not ready to invest because the number of Windows Mobile  users were low. 

Furthermore Belfore admitted that he switched platform for the sake of platform/hardware diversity, and now uses an iPhone. He also recommended others to do it (switch platform), and said Microsoft will support Windows 10 customer who want to use Android and iOS on their phones.

The Windows Mobile operating system has been dead for more than a year, and this is the first time Microsoft is publicly admitting defeat. The last Windows Phone from Microsoft was Lumia 950/950 XL and Lumia 550, and released two years back.

Even though Microsoft is done with Windows Mobile hardware and software, the company will make its presence felt by bringing some of its popular apps and services to rival platforms. The company  has been focusing on releasing apps and experiences for Android and iOS devices. It recently announced Edge browser for iOS and Android devices, and before that released MS Office, Cortana, Bink Search, Arrow Launcher (now Microsoft Launcher) and more. Microsoft also started selling Android phone with "Microsoft Edition" tag in its retail stores starting with the Galaxy S8, pre-loaded with Microsoft service and app.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's head Satya Nadella recently revealed that he was against the idea of buying Nokia and entering the smartphone market with Windows Phone platform. Also Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates revealed that he is now using an Android Phone, with a lot of Microsoft apps.

The latest development on Windows Mobile operating system comes soon after HP announced that it is ditching Windows 10 Mobile platform. The company had released a premium flagship model called Elite X3, which had all the top features and hardware, but failed to attract any attention and the reason is same, due to the failure and low user base of Windows Mobile operating system. 

Source 

Kaiser Bey

Kaiser is a tech enthusiast who likes to write, read and talk about tech. He dreams of going to Mars and never come back. We hope that you find his posts on AndroGuider helpful and informative