Microsoft Android Phone?

[Alen Alex]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

 

[pkcable]

Maybe, BUT what is probably more likely would be software releases or a software suite that runs on both Android and iOS. Similar to what BlackBerry has done with it's Hub, etc.


EDIT: The suite name just came to me! Microsoft Tiles! It would give your Android, or iOS all the MS apps in one place AND on Android it would have a launcher that gives your phone that Win10 mobile iconic tile interface.

 

[aximtreo]

News today says that MS is close to being a Trillion dollar business. I don't think you will see anything for the consumer market again from MS.

 

[nate0]

News today says that MS is close to being a Trillion dollar business. I don't think you will see anything for the consumer market again from MS.

Good point.

 

[Ryujingt3]

It would be nice to see MS release a version of Android, not an actual device, that you could flash to your Android device. But I don't think they will focus on hardware again. Maybe only as a niche now.

 

[DavidBS1989]

Of course not xD.

 

[unmorphed]

News today says that MS is close to being a Trillion dollar business. I don't think you will see anything for the consumer market again from MS.

Yeah, Surface Go looks like it's for business and I use my Xbox for spreadsheets and emails.

 

[ryanlrobinson]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

To me, the question for this would be whether they would have substantial changes to the OS beyond what they can already do through their various apps. I can't think of what that substantial change would be to justify the massive overhead in hardware and software development. They're not going to do it just for the sake of saying "we have a phone again!", while losing money or at best breaking even.

 

[Schinwinkwinsky]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

I believe it will and If you’re a user, maybe it’ll be fantastic. But if you’re a developer, what system are you gonna develop for? Remember that UWP apps are universal.

 

[Gregorius Magnus]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

Up until recently I just figured, they should have something released with Windows 10 simply, and just update it along with its development towards the CoreOS. But then they just released the latest update to Microsoft Store losing touch navigation of the search results. Basically scrolling that is, in a prod release. Now I believe that Microsoft should be prevented from releasing anything that requires touch input. So yes, they should release an Android phone, with no Microsoft apps on it.

 

[treiz]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

No, moving their services onto other large platforms is one thing while they are buying time to get WoA ready, but building a droid would send all sorts of bad signals to the market and waste precious time and money. Microsoft has no future without a mobile play, and the longer they stay out the harder and more expensive it will be to get back in. Right now they have lots of other services that they can leverage to keep them floating while they gear up for a real fight, but their competitors in those spaces aren't sitting around and won't let them have their way. Microsoft could soon find themselves being squeezed in the spaces where they have been successful, and their next retrenchment could set off further declines in other services. Google has successfully leveraged its successful businesses to push Android to where it is today, and Microsoft needs to do the same.

 

[soulcancer]

Yes, as long as it intefrares with the PC seamlessly and has ALL the Microsoft apps on the phone. I mean, photos, people, maps, text integration with the PC.
I mean, my outlook.com contacts do not sync photos! come on!

 

[rmark66]

Yes, first they should release a business phone and should include MS apps and services. They should be testing this internally and attacking the lose ends. I think with some of the recent changes to the Maps app on Windows, they are getting ready to make an Android Maps App. They need to fill in some more capabilities, add ink for signatures (medical, POS, etc.). They could really reduce IT costs with the right capabilities out of the box with easy integration into AD/Azure.

 

[dav8o8]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

I recently switched to Android (LG V30) because my beloved Lumia 950XL finally died. (I really miss it's camera too.) I'm using a Windows 10 Launcher on the Android phone, I have all MS apps installed, and try to disable anything I can that's Google related. So, if MS can do offer a phone with my settings described above; I'd welcome it.

 

[Scott McBurney]

NO, Microsoft should really NOT release an android phone, there are way too many options already on the market, it would just be useless...….

UNLESS - the phone they release is somehow a game changer or totally new form factor.... like the rumored Andromeda device. If andromeda is all that it is hyped up to be, and it runs android meaning it can run any of the billions of android apps, THEN it may actually be worth releasing.

UNFORTUNATELY, if Andromeda was released as a device running Windows Core, and has the ability to make phone calls, no one is going to replace their phone with it, since it won't have access to the billions of android apps. Now, if it is marketed as a Phone Companion, then there are possibilities.

Now if it ran Windows Core, but could ALSO run android apps (like some early builds of Windows 10 Mobile did), that would be TOTALLY AWESOME!

 

[RHoudek2]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

I used to think they should. It has felt to me though that MS is doing everything they can to abandon the consumer space though, so i ended up making the tough decision to move over to the Apple camp. I tried Android on a Galaxy S8+ but i just hated it. It never got better over time either. I used it for i think 6 or 8 months before i finally just gave up on Android and MS.

That being said, IF MS were to make an Android it shouldn't be just a launcher like they have now. Instead i would envision a fork of Android kinda like what Amazon has done with their Fire line. This way they could make it look and operate they way we Windows Tile fans like, but it could still run other Android Apps.

I don't see this as being a problem because UWP is something that Google is also heavily promoting so this device could still run UWPs and regular Android apps all the while having a unique to Windows UX.

All that being said though, i am surprised at how much i have liked being all in on Apple now. I never wanted to be, but it's funny that Apple has delivered all the stuff MS promised but never pulled off. I couldn't tell you how exciting it was to send and receive a text on my Macbook Air without having to pair anything, or set anything up. I'm also amazed that my three-generation-old 6s that i bought used still functions like a modern phone and doesn't feel like it's three (four if you count the iPhone X) gens old. I mean that Galaxy S8+ i had would jitter and freeze up doing simple stuff like typing on the keyboard into a text message, then having the stuff i tapped showing up 3- 5 seconds later. That should never i repeat NEVER have happened on a phone with a Snapdragon 8 series and 4Gigs of ram!

And again all that "all that" being said, if MS could make a fork of android that truly ran well and had literally 0% Google on it, unless you opt IN to the Google experience, then it might be great!

 

[GraniteStateColin]

No chance. I'm not saying there won't be an Android phone in an MS retail store to showcase MS services on Android phones, but I would bet a lot of money that Microsoft will not build a Microsoft-branded Android phone. It's one thing to provide software that encourages the use of the Microsoft ecosystem, and ultimately sets up users to came back to a Windows device. That makes good sense. That's very different from doing new custom hardware to help expand Google's market share, presumably at the expense of PC's. It also runs counter to the consolidation of various Windows offshoots all toward Windows 10 for all their devices (IoT, Xbox, PC's, and hopefully Andromeda).

And for those reasons I also really hope they don't do it.

 

[Pairadyce]

Do you think Microsoft will release an Android phone?

The only way i could see this making sense is if the Microsoft Store could replace Google's store and this they can get better synchronization with their services like outlook and Skype. Otherwise, i think they are happier just making apps and hoping for cooperation.

 

[Martin Plamondon]

Unless it looks and feels like Windows Phone there is no point...

 

[Kamesh Kotwani]

Yes, and I'll definitely buy it. As I use all the Microsoft services.