I wanna preface this by saying first and foremost I am an avid supporter of the Microsoft ecosystem (Icon, SP2, Xbox 360) and that I say this with much sadness.
Cortana going to iOS and Android is an unofficial surrender by MSFT in the smartphone OS market and what seems to be a subtle axing of Windows Phone by Nadella. Microsoft's only hope of ever establishing a credible 3rd place foothold in the industry will be shattered with a digital assistant that Microsoft bragged would be more intuitive and advanced than Siri and Google Now, Albeit it isn't at the moment but Redmond have the resources and know-how to eventually make it true. Deep down I doubt Nadella and MSFT's overall faith in WP. I wouldn't be shocked if I saw Nadella pull an iPhone out of his pocket.
I don't even know why Nadella bragged about Microsoft becoming a "cloud first device and services company" why not just leave the "devices" portion out and be honest? MSFT loves to flip-flop on the device products they initially bragged so much about. See the Xbox One's Kinect for example: they bragged profusely that it was better to have the Kinect add-on and even required it to play games on the XBone; they changed that. They required Kinect to come with every console; they changed that. Now we're seeing the same with Windows Phone and to some degree Windows 8 and the Surface. I wonder how involved Nadella was with the Nokia acquisition, it probably was set into motion by the board before Ballmer stepped down.
MSFT made a touch friendly Office for iPad a priority over a touch friendly Office for Surface and other W8 tablets, despite knowing for a long time in advance that they themselves would be rolling out a touch tablet of their own. The Office division clearly weren't told about the Microsoft Surface before any of us consumers were apparently.
They brought Bing Rewards to iOS & Android months before WP got it. All at the same time that Google was giving MSFT the bird when they requested Google Apps on WP8.
Now they plan on giving away one of the best and most recognizable product differentiators Windows Phone had going for them, it would be like Ford coming up with an amazing car technology and giving it FREE to GM and Chrysler so people wouldn't have to buy the Ford in the first place. Why should any iPhone or Android user leave their superior app ecosystems for Windows Phone if every cool WP feature gets ported over to iOS and Android? Plus I add, why does Apple even need Cortana, when they've committed to using Bing for Siri and OSX already? Millions of iPhones are already using Bing search, and the new Apple deal will continue to help grow Bing's market share in mobile searches.
MSFT is blowing the best tool they had for growing WP's market share in the US and in other markets where growth was abysmal. Millions & millions of PC's run Windows and business and schools around the world generally prefer Windows PC's. Why not develop Cortana's tech and migrate Cortana to Xbox One and Windows 8 tablets/PCs?? Hell even Cortana on Windows 7 and Xbox 360 makes sense. It would introduce and familiarize millions of more people to the digital assistant and if MSFT made it good enough, it would attract more mainstream users to WP. Imagine a commercial showing a person talking to Cortana on Windows Phone telling her to download a game so it's ready when I get home (it then flashes over to the person's Xbox One in the living room). Or an Xbox One commercial where someone tells Cortana while playing Xbox "Cortana Print my excel spreadsheet at the office so it's ready when I get there" (then flashes over to an office where a Windows 8 PC with Cortana performs this task remotely). Heck or imagine someone a MSFT commercial where a guy is watching a friend's Xbox Live match from his Windows Phone or Surface tablet and receives an XBL party invite on his phone to come play when he gets home. This merger of mobile and home, entertainment and work to me is the true ONE MICROSOFT not this "oh we need to learn to share with the other brands BS" That's not how free market competition works, you establish your brand by striving to be better and unique from the competition as to attract consumers to your product over your competitors.
Google and Apple don't have a comparable infrastructure to compete with MSFT on this strategy. There's many more Xbox Ones and 360's in people's homes than there are Apple TV and Chromecasts. There's also like 1000 windows PCs for every Mac and Chromebook in the professional enterprise environment. MSFT has all the leverage here and they're pissing it away. Cortana could have became the most advanced and personal DI useful for both work and play and could have been the highlight of MSFT advertising. If you want the awesome and unique MSFT experience then you need to buy MSFT products! That's Business Marketing 101. Jesus Christ Microsoft! What's next Halo 5 on PS4 with extra levels and DLC that the XBone won't get? Nadella's MSFT probably likes that idea too.
Cortana going to iOS and Android is an unofficial surrender by MSFT in the smartphone OS market and what seems to be a subtle axing of Windows Phone by Nadella. Microsoft's only hope of ever establishing a credible 3rd place foothold in the industry will be shattered with a digital assistant that Microsoft bragged would be more intuitive and advanced than Siri and Google Now, Albeit it isn't at the moment but Redmond have the resources and know-how to eventually make it true. Deep down I doubt Nadella and MSFT's overall faith in WP. I wouldn't be shocked if I saw Nadella pull an iPhone out of his pocket.
I don't even know why Nadella bragged about Microsoft becoming a "cloud first device and services company" why not just leave the "devices" portion out and be honest? MSFT loves to flip-flop on the device products they initially bragged so much about. See the Xbox One's Kinect for example: they bragged profusely that it was better to have the Kinect add-on and even required it to play games on the XBone; they changed that. They required Kinect to come with every console; they changed that. Now we're seeing the same with Windows Phone and to some degree Windows 8 and the Surface. I wonder how involved Nadella was with the Nokia acquisition, it probably was set into motion by the board before Ballmer stepped down.
MSFT made a touch friendly Office for iPad a priority over a touch friendly Office for Surface and other W8 tablets, despite knowing for a long time in advance that they themselves would be rolling out a touch tablet of their own. The Office division clearly weren't told about the Microsoft Surface before any of us consumers were apparently.
They brought Bing Rewards to iOS & Android months before WP got it. All at the same time that Google was giving MSFT the bird when they requested Google Apps on WP8.
Now they plan on giving away one of the best and most recognizable product differentiators Windows Phone had going for them, it would be like Ford coming up with an amazing car technology and giving it FREE to GM and Chrysler so people wouldn't have to buy the Ford in the first place. Why should any iPhone or Android user leave their superior app ecosystems for Windows Phone if every cool WP feature gets ported over to iOS and Android? Plus I add, why does Apple even need Cortana, when they've committed to using Bing for Siri and OSX already? Millions of iPhones are already using Bing search, and the new Apple deal will continue to help grow Bing's market share in mobile searches.
MSFT is blowing the best tool they had for growing WP's market share in the US and in other markets where growth was abysmal. Millions & millions of PC's run Windows and business and schools around the world generally prefer Windows PC's. Why not develop Cortana's tech and migrate Cortana to Xbox One and Windows 8 tablets/PCs?? Hell even Cortana on Windows 7 and Xbox 360 makes sense. It would introduce and familiarize millions of more people to the digital assistant and if MSFT made it good enough, it would attract more mainstream users to WP. Imagine a commercial showing a person talking to Cortana on Windows Phone telling her to download a game so it's ready when I get home (it then flashes over to the person's Xbox One in the living room). Or an Xbox One commercial where someone tells Cortana while playing Xbox "Cortana Print my excel spreadsheet at the office so it's ready when I get there" (then flashes over to an office where a Windows 8 PC with Cortana performs this task remotely). Heck or imagine someone a MSFT commercial where a guy is watching a friend's Xbox Live match from his Windows Phone or Surface tablet and receives an XBL party invite on his phone to come play when he gets home. This merger of mobile and home, entertainment and work to me is the true ONE MICROSOFT not this "oh we need to learn to share with the other brands BS" That's not how free market competition works, you establish your brand by striving to be better and unique from the competition as to attract consumers to your product over your competitors.
Google and Apple don't have a comparable infrastructure to compete with MSFT on this strategy. There's many more Xbox Ones and 360's in people's homes than there are Apple TV and Chromecasts. There's also like 1000 windows PCs for every Mac and Chromebook in the professional enterprise environment. MSFT has all the leverage here and they're pissing it away. Cortana could have became the most advanced and personal DI useful for both work and play and could have been the highlight of MSFT advertising. If you want the awesome and unique MSFT experience then you need to buy MSFT products! That's Business Marketing 101. Jesus Christ Microsoft! What's next Halo 5 on PS4 with extra levels and DLC that the XBone won't get? Nadella's MSFT probably likes that idea too.
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