is MS's generosity going to kill WP's uniqueness?

[Joshwin]

I heard that MS office,onenote,calender,and outlook mail app all there are available for free on iOS and Androids.I haven't used these on any other OSes yet.I can't really believe MS is giving away these wonderful services for other OSes. is there any catch or trade-off with Android versions of these services? or they are as same as on WPs?(I heard they are better than WP's) .Other than the unique UI of WPs, all these great services are not only like a heart of wps but also a major selling point for wps.Just for these services only i bought a wp.If MS made all these apps available free for other Mobile OSes then what's so special about WPs? there is no reason for me to still use wp is there?.In my opinion they shouldn't give these apps at all to other OSes if they really want to boost the market share of WPs and maintain it's uniqueness.Please help me take my decision.Now I am planing to switch to android.Will I miss any of these services if I switch?

 

[Quhi]

Sadly they want their services to be available to as much people as possible, but I do hope that we will get better functionality.

 

[theefman]

Use what works for you, MS services are well represented on android and ios but ultimately, you are the one who makes the decision.

 

[LockOnTech]

You still got to pay for the subscription service despite being available free on multi-platforms. It is good that we are able to have a choice on any service you wish to use; that is just business in the 21 century.

 

[Joshwin]

so is what I heard true?You mean they are just free on android and ios?is it likely that MS will continue its support for these services on other OS's in the future?

 

[sinime]

so is what I heard true?You mean they are just free on android and ios?is it likely that MS will continue its support for these services on other OS's in the future?

You have to pay an annual fee to use them on iOS/Android.

 

[Joshwin]

Thank god for that

 

[errole]

No you don't its free.

 

[Joshwin]

No you don't its free.

how do you mean?

 

[Daniel Olsen]

What they are doing is smart. With this strategy, even if WP fails, they still can succeed with all the software that they own that is still in everyone's pocket.

 

[jmshub]

The thing is, Microsoft makes a metric crap-ton more money on Office than they do on Windows Phone. Office actually makes more money than Windows. The thing is, if Microsoft Word was unavailable or just awful on iPhone, fewer people than you would hope would switch from iPhone to Windows Phone. More people would switch to Pages, Open Office, Google Docs, Evernote etc.

So having a full featured client on competing platforms is smart for Microsoft. But, the complains that were somewhat valid was that Windows Phone wasn't getting apps as good as those on Android and iOS. Microsoft appears to be solving that, the apps they previewed in the event back in January show features that leapfrog Android and iOS when Windows 10 hits phones this year.

 

[Joshwin]

instead of this cheap trick MS should work hard on WP and make it a great success then sure more will switch to wps and wp will make more revenue than the mobile office.This attitude only goes to prove that MS is not at all confident about wp.

 

[Quhi]

Lol if windows phone shall ever succeed MS might as well become a monopolist.

 

[DER1996]

no , it's not it's keeping microsoft , and by extension windows , relevant . even if Windows is somehow the "best" platform , no body will switch if their services are unavailable , and google has no plans to help competition , BUT , if MS makes people switch to its services, which will , hopefully , become better won windows with windows 10 , it helps both MS and windows, and in the worst case scenario where windows is not successful , microsoft can still be relevant the same way google was before android and still is on ios and desktop windows .
PS : contrary to common sense, not offering MS services on other platforms does NOT help windows , they tried to sell windows phone /rt because of integrated office , xbox live etc. the few people who bought it were because it was a nokia , or because it looked so darn good ( and still does in its windows 10 incarnation ,just less alienating and more color friendly , and for the button placement every body is arguing about, ideally swiping applied in bb10 and meego and windows 8.0 is the most inituitive , but we've all see how succesful that is ) so stop on hating because people have acces to the apps I like , that's destructive selfishness , and be thankful for the fluid and secure os you're using .

 

[TheCudder]

What they are doing is smart. With this strategy, even if WP fails, they still can succeed with all the software that they own that is still in everyone's pocket.

Agreed. And not only in that sense, the main focus of the plan is to also win back consumers who are in the Android and iOS ecosystem by influencing them with great software from Microsoft. They want them to WANT to use and LOVE Microsoft again (or for the first time). The Outlook app is receiving great reviews on the web and the already popular Sunrise calendar app will keep this positive image growing. Sure these apps are missing from the Windows Phone store, but I would be more than surprised if they are not debuted in Windows 10 as pre-packaged core apps. Nadella has a great strategy with the "mobile first, cloud first" mindset. They're aligning mostly everything perfectly for the official release and push of Windows 10. Hopefully they can deliver on their marketing department this go around. MSFT is going shake things up on 2016.

 

[TheCudder]

If MS made all these apps available free for other Mobile OSes then what's so special about WPs? there is no reason for me to still use wp is there?.In my opinion they shouldn't give these apps at all to other OSes if they really want to boost the market share of WPs and maintain it's uniqueness.

Apps being limited to WP won't help a mobile OS that no one cares to try. Also if Microsoft didn't bother developing for Android and iOS, those users would stick to GMail, etc. --- remember, they have the app advantage as they have multiple quality options available unlike WP. Solution? Over take their phone with your software. Minecraft, Outlook, Sunrise, lock screen software, office suite and some where down the line you're going to get curious about Windows 10 devices. It's a win win, even if they opt to stay on iOS and Android.

 

[fatclue_98]

WP's "uniqueness" is so unique that only 3% +/- of the world's users have it. How can the other 97% know how good MS's services are if they never get to try them? I think it's a great move that is proving to be the rainmaker MS wanted. The Office apps and Outlook are at, or near the top of the Android downloads list. Windows 10 is creating a buzz and even WP8-style launchers are garnering traffic at the Play Store. Stop with all the doom and gloom already.

 

[TheCudder]

You have to pay an annual fee to use them on iOS/Android.

Office Mobile is free to use for viewing and editing (basic features) existing documents, saving to the cloud. The paid Office 365 subscription is only required to create new documents and unlock the full functionality. Your average user can get by on the free version. Office 365 is aimed towards students, small businesses and cloud-friendly enterprise environments.

 

[sinime]

Office Mobile is free to use for viewing and editing (basic features) existing documents, saving to the cloud. The paid Office 365 subscription is only required to create new documents and unlock the full functionality. Your average user can get by on the free version. Office 365 is aimed towards students, small businesses and cloud-friendly enterprise environments.

Oh, didn't realize that. At least the full version doesn't burn a 360 license on WP.

 

[fatclue_98]

Office Mobile is free to use for viewing and editing (basic features) existing documents, saving to the cloud. The paid Office 365 subscription is only required to create new documents and unlock the full functionality. Your average user can get by on the free version. Office 365 is aimed towards students, small businesses and cloud-friendly enterprise environments.

I have all 3 apps on my 6+ and I edit documents (Word & Excel). I just downloaded the apps, signed into my Live account and it showed as "activated". In fact, I only signed in on Word and when I opened Excel and PP, it already showed me as logged in.