HP Elite X3 Business phone = No Surface Phone?

[ven07]

So HP Elite X3 went up today and boy they didn't disappoint, but looking at the phone/how it's presented and what it can do, you can say one thing: this phone is geared towards businesses. Obviously this won't stop the enthusiasts from getting one, but what about out average Joe?

On top of that the phone or phablet will be bundled. So the price will be sth, but I'm not here to talk about the price.

So moving on, we know or at least we think we know that a Surface Phone or at least a phone that is being worked on by the Surface team might be launching sometime this year (4th quarter?). However according to Daniel R. that phone was/is also going to be presented in such a way that it would seem fitting for businesses.

So two business phones in one year? is that even going to happen? By doing that, won't MS basically be going back on the whole "we will be pulling ourselves out of the manufacturing game somewhat"..

What do ya think?

 

[Steve Adams]

Its hard to say. once a few of these get out, the business man's family will be like, I want those features, hence new windows phones that are less powerful but with the same ideas. I think its all heading in the right direction.

 

[etphoto]

By the time Surface Phone is released it will be a slight upgrade than this HP model. I'm thinking.

Sent from my Surface 3

 

[todd7900]

Since I believe this has obviously been in design for awhile, and I'm sure Microsoft has been in consultation with HP, I think the Surface Phone will be a generation ahead of this. MS has said they will be making reference designs, so I don't think we have any idea what the Surface Phone might bring.

 

[DasWindows]

So how do normal consumers buy this

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[todd7900]

My guess will be initially through the HP Store and Microsoft Store. If the demand is there it will end up in the Electronics stores eventually.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

My guess will be initially through the HP Store and Microsoft Store. If the demand is there it will end up in the Electronics stores eventually.

I think a phone like this or others will definitely make their way to consumers at some point. The usage case is compelling. You could sell a bundle with the dock, keyboard, mouse, LCD monitor, and the mobile extender for a decent price as a complete computing package. For most people, it'd cover every single one of their needs.

The app gap still remains a problem. That would be the only thing that would prevent this from being a fantastic overall device for college or even high school.

 

[anon(5383410)]

Hopefully the combination of this and the ___ phone will motivate the Dells, Samsungs, Sonys and the like to step up to the plate similar to what Surface did for the 2-in-1.

 

[emigrating]

Hell, I'm getting one of these as soon as humanly possible. Unless there is a Surface phone released or at least announced (with better specs - and that includes at least a 6" screen) before GA.

 

[ven07]

By the time Surface Phone is released it will be a slight upgrade than this HP model. I'm thinking.

That's just it Daniel R. expected them not to make it very high-end but good enough for a business owner to want or even need one, which in turn should have kept the price at a fair point, but if the surface team want to outdo HP, the only way to go is up, but doesn't that drive up the price as well?

As it stands we still have no idea what the x3 will cost so we'll have to wait

 

[ven07]

Hopefully the combination of this and the ___ phone will motivate the Dells, Samsungs, Sonys and the like to step up to the plate similar to what Surface did for the 2-in-1.

Tbh I'd like to Sony give it a go :grincry:

 

[ven07]

The app gap still remains a problem. That would be the only thing that would prevent this from being a fantastic overall device for college or even high school.

Agreed, I was thinking the same thing.. The app gap, will be present and people will, as usual, nitpick

 

[ven07]

so I don't think we have any idea what the Surface Phone might bring

Lol und we really don't like I said in a different thread: the Surface team is known for being very secretive about their work, so I'm not expecting any leaks whatsoever! Unless they do it intentionally to build up hype

 

[JohnStrk]

This is exactly the kick in the pants that MS needed! Hopefully HP can motivate them quickly to improve upon all the remaining W10M bugs, provide the needed drivers in time, and encourage other OEM's to compete! Glance would be awesome though. Find a way to make that happen MS/HP and take my money!!

 

[DasWindows]

My guess will be initially through the HP Store and Microsoft Store. If the demand is there it will end up in the Electronics stores eventually.

was said they would be selling to companies.

So i wonder if there will be a downgraded version for consumer.

 

[todd7900]

I'm guessing that part of the release schedule for this device is a solid release of Win 10 Mobile. By later in the summer/early fall hopefully Microsoft will be well on the way to releasing Redstone. In order for this to be the category defining device it should be I will need a solid OS to drive it. I have a hard time imagining that Hp would not insist on a stable OS before they released a defining device like this.

 

[Keith Wallace]

I don't see why the Elite would mean the Surface Phone needs to be passed over. The Surface Pro line exists in a much busier market than the W10M one. Skipping the Surface Phone would mean the Elite is the ONLY business-focused offering. HP said it has 30 companies on-board to test these products, but remember that there are quite a few using Surface Pro devices, meaning they are businesses Microsoft could trickle a Surface Phone down to, given close ties that already exist.

What this does is give the Surface Phone a baseline to work with. The hope is that it aims to surpass the Elite, not just be a brand alternative. A Surface tablet shell like the Extender for the Elite would be a great start, and something I've suggested for a while (though in a Zenphone-like ,docking setup, rather than the Elite's wireless solution). There is absolutely room and reason for the Surface Phone, as Microsoft's got a lot of things on its side in this fight, like being the owner of Skype (meaning closer work with the team for a Skype-centric experience for business), being the makers of Continuum, and having a great in-house offers for optics.

The Surface Phone needs to happen still. Take the Elite, throw in Pureview, add a camera button, and make the battery removable. You could also say a full metal chassis would "feel" more premium, though I'd disagree. HP definitely left few avenues for topping its device, but MS has 6+ months from now to make plans.

 

[Arunabha Goswami]

So, can an average person run legacy apps on the Elite?

 

[todd7900]

No, the HP Workspace will be a special app store ran by HP that will cater to enterprise level apps. At least initially, I would think that if this takes off Microsoft could license the tech for the Windows store or HP could offer a consumer version. I would guess however the first choice since HP really would rather focus on enterprise as evidenced by the recent split of the company.

 

[hemanlive]

Well, well well. Is this the kind of news a windows phone fan like myself was looking out for?
I guess so. This is what Nadella wanted OEMs to do. He is not making a phone just for the sake of it, and did not want OEMs doing that either. This phone changes the dynamics of the game.
As far as pricing goes, I would not sweat on it one bit. If it is for the Enterprise users, the order quantity will be in 100s if not 1000s of these units. On top of the hardware cost, there will be AMCs, enterprise security, Mobile Device management, managed security, application management et. all. In short it will be a full bouquet of product and services. HP will go in a say, if you don't need very high end processing (which most organizations don't need for majority of their employees anyway), do not buy an expensive laptop. Buy this phone and ditch your blackberries (if you still are stuck with them), iPhones or Android phones. Also ditch your tablets and laptops. Get this device and its accessories and your employees are good to go. It does not matter if they are in office, on the road, on a plane, at client's location or even somewhere in Alaska or Antarctica. They will have their PC in their pockets. Wherever they can connect to a LTE/wi-fi/Ethernet, they will have all your files, apps and anything else they may need on their palms. Plus it is the only point of use, so you need to secure just one device. That is indeed a very compelling sales pitch for today's enterprise.
I can already see some of HPs closest competitors, buying such devices for HP/Microsoft as this pitch is going to be increasingly used in enterprise space going forward.