MSFT Considering Android Apps For Windows Phones.

[ohgood]

Ok, I've had an android tablet (asus transformer) and phone (GalaxyS) and while they are fine products I really don't see why everyone is going crazy about android apps. Seriously, I play a couple of games on them and such but honestly I don't see what the big deal is. Will someone PLEASE tell me what is this great app(s) that makes android so great? I'm not trolling, I'm genuinely asking, what apps should I be using on my android devices that aren't available anywhere else? Since I just picked up a surface pro the big apps for me that I can't get anywhere but windows are Visual studio (express editions because they're free ) and Steam. I really missed my steam library on my transformer...but there are other casual games so I'm managing.
Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way....is android popular because it's not Microsoft? Is it because the devices running android are typically cheaper than others (MS, Apple)? What is it about android that's got everyone salivating?

it's because of the sudden and huge availability of every type of application (and twenty variations from twenty different developers) you ever imagined.

I could care less about the ui of all the applications matching the same shade of brown/orange throughout.


more specific:
geocaching online
" offline
navigation online/socially
navigation offline
tracking
trip planning on/off line
dlna apps
NFC apps
apps to track flights in real time
twenty different kinds of social media


and everything that is not on wp platform right now

 

[thundr51]

more specific:
geocaching online -- looked this up, looks like it's basically treasure hunting?
" offline
navigation online/socially -- I have my old 820 that I gave to my Mom in law to use as a GPS...and it's not activated...same thing?
navigation offline
tracking
trip planning on/off line -- I don't take that many trips a year but when i'm looking for hotels/cars I just hit the websites..
dlna apps -- Ok, I still use my ps3/xbox music...guess I need to get with it.
NFC apps -- I need to try some of these, but doesn't seem like It would be that great.
apps to track flights in real time -- I can see why this would be important if I was constantly travelling...or picking up family members flying in out.
twenty different kinds of social media -- Only using twitter...
and everything that is not on wp platform right now

Good points, I need to get out more I guess.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Not sure if i replied but...
I'd rather Microsoft close down windows phone altogether before bring Android to Windows Phone.
It's bad enough Nokia has that phone coming out and it is nice looking but it has ANdroid....just feels meh to me.

Furthermore, if Microsoft feels the need to bring android to Windows phone, that is basically defeat to me and saying they don't have enough faith in the OS and that means I'll have no faith
and i will definitely then switch to an IPHONE.

 

[rodan01]

First, lets be clear, PCs, MACs and Linux machines run on similar hardware. So the ability to do this is a lot simpler. So from a logical stand point it makes sense. Though I think most people would prefer not to run VMware. Not sure about Chromebooks in all this.

Phones and tablets run in similar hardware too, OEMs will use the same hardware for Android and Windows.

So MS chooses which apps come over? What if I want an app that MS hasn't chosen? What happens then? Should I stick with WP if I can't get all the apps?

Why develop for 3% of the market? Will the apps work well on low end WP hardware? Even though you're talking interface looks it's still development time. Will developers bother? MS would have to make if fairly easy to port the app.

What do you do now if the app that you want is not in WP?!
3% of market share is enough for big apps, but as you can see in your phone is not enough for apps that aim to a smaller share of the user base. That's why we need Android apps to fill the holes.
Android apps will improve their performance with ahead of time compilation, supposedly Kit Kat is implementing this but I don't know how many apps are included since launch. The other big impact in performance is caused by apps misbehaving with background tasks. Microsoft should impose more strict rules in the windows store, as Amazon does.

My point in all this is simple. In what way is this better than simply buying an Android phone? Why buy a WP? What am I gaining by buying a WP? What makes it at all attractive?

The whole point of WP is that it's supposed to become cross platform with W8. Where does this fit in?

There are lots of people who simply despise Google and Android and are on WP. Do you see them sticking with WP if this were to happen? I see WP tanking if this were to happen because the users are different compared to say BB.

I have no doubt there will be some who will be completely happy if this were to happen but I won't be one of them. I want apps for WP, not a botch job.

I buy Windows devices because I love the UI, the tiles, Microsoft services, integration with Windows 8 and XBOX, security, productivity. The top apps, where the user spend 70%-80% of their time, should be native with a distinctive user interface, but Microsoft can't achieve the same with small apps. Of course Android and HTML5 apps hurt the user experience compared with native apps. But most people would chose these alternatives rather than NOTHING. So the key is allowing only Android apps that aren't economically viable in the platform.

Android is becoming a standard used in a myriad of compatible platforms (Android forks, Jolla, BlackBerry, etc.). Probably in a couple of years more than 50% of the devices shipped with an Android runtime won't use Google services. Microsoft could adopt this massive platform and its millions of devs to increase the reach of Windows and their services.
Maybe the unification of WP, Windows and XBOX will be enough to reach the critical mass for the platform, but if It's not enough then the alternative strategies should be ready. That's the motivation behind the Normandy device and the adoption of the Android runtime on Windows.
People have to be realistic and understand that this platform won't survive with a 3% of market share, Microsoft is playing their last Windows cards this year, if the platform doesn't take off then 2015 will be robotic green in Microsoft.

 

[Genghis7777]

That's the thing, innit? MS does not want or need you and me and everyone else on WP right now. They are targeting those tens of millions of users who don't use WP or rejected it because it didn't have [INSERT TRENDY APP HERE] or similar reasons. These guys are out there in their millions, and they are who MSFT want on their platform.

Adopting Android apps would be seen as a betrayal by developers on the same scale as their decision not to provide an upgrade path for WP7 users.



Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

 

[Genghis7777]

I'm wondering if Google is thinking about what can be done to prevent or make it as difficult as possible to port Android apps over to WP.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

if I was them, I would do the opposite as it would further signal Android 's ascendancy, a foot on the throat of one's enemy, so to speak.





Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

 

[anony_mouse]

Adopting Android apps would be seen as a betrayal by developers on the same scale as their decision not to provide an upgrade path for WP7 users.

That worked out pretty well, didn't it? Sales of WP8 devices are much better than they were for WP7 devices.

 

[Genghis7777]

Android is becoming a standard used in a myriad of compatible platforms (Android forks, Jolla, BlackBerry, etc.). Probably in a couple of years more than 50% of the devices shipped with an Android runtime won't use Google services. Microsoft could adopt this massive platform and its millions of devs to increase the reach of Windows and their services.
People have to be realistic and understand that this platform won't survive with a 3% of market share,.

There are a couple of insightful articles on Ars Technica about Google's Android strategy. Increasingly Android phone manufacturers and devs will be forced to use their services or replicate them. Of course they too will be writing proprietary code to build their own competitive advantage.

Will Google approve or continue to approve apps for their store who don't fundamentally follow their philosophy?

Look what they did after seeing Samsung's design ideas.


Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

 

[Jazmac]

Not sure if i replied but...
I'd rather Microsoft close down windows phone altogether before bring Android to Windows Phone.
It's bad enough Nokia has that phone coming out and it is nice looking but it has ANdroid....just feels meh to me.

Furthermore, if Microsoft feels the need to bring android to Windows phone, that is basically defeat to me and saying they don't have enough faith in the OS and that means I'll have no faith
and i will definitely then switch to an IPHONE.

Agreed. If they moved to bring in android to "save" WP, what was all my work for? Why did I or WE fight to defend this platform for so long only to be sold off to the likes of google? For me, I most likely would not stay. Leave and never return to WP or this website. And I'll be taking my entire family out with me.

 

[Markham Ranja]

Adopting Android apps would be seen as a betrayal by developers on the same scale as their decision not to provide an upgrade path for WP7 users.



Sent from my Lumia 520 using Tapatalk

Do you think MSFT cares? They are in business to make money. If they think doing this Android monstrosity will bring in money and get more people to buy WP, they will do it. End of story.

 

[Markham Ranja]

Agreed. If they moved to bring in android to "save" WP, what was all my work for? Why did I or WE fight to defend this platform for so long only to be sold off to the likes of google? For me, I most likely would not stay. Leave and never return to WP or this website. And I'll be taking my entire family out with me.

You seem to have been in a kind of Wonderland wherein corporations cared about the fact that we defended and fought for a platform. The point of a corporation is to make a profit. WP is not profitable. Allowing Android APKs to be easily ported or virtualised may increase WP sales, and if this is true, MSFT will go ahead and they do it. They don't care about us.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Agreed. If they moved to bring in android to "save" WP, what was all my work for? Why did I or WE fight to defend this platform for so long only to be sold off to the likes of google? For me, I most likely would not stay. Leave and never return to WP or this website. And I'll be taking my entire family out with me.

Same
I"ll still be within the family though...I'd just migrate over to imore

From what i understand, how Blackberry does it with android is a shoddy experience...average at best and not all the apps work and i've tried something similar to bluestacks and the experience was subpar....Idk how they would do this and make the experience feel well-enough(Again, why would anyone switch to a windows phone that features Android vs getting a specifically made Android phone, is beyond me lol).

Given that people can't seem to handle metro W8 and desktop w8 and they are the SAME OS...I am not sure how people will easily handle 2 entirely different apps/types of OS running together.

But like i said, MOST people who use android use it for the customization, ease of access to root the OS AND THE apps are a 3rd reason(the first two reasons are why diehard fans will go to Android despite the fact Apple does usually have better apps and gets apps first before android sometimes)...so I can't see them switching to a Windows phone with some android elements.

I wouldn't switch to an Android phone that happened to have some Windows Phone/Windows 8 element.

Furthermore...New customers? Ehhh, that's a tough one....Simply because i think they'd go for cheap market phones such as Lumia 520/521, Nokia X, Moto G or other low end devices such as that.
Again not a phone with 2 different OS and app types.

 

[a5cent]

They don't care about us.

I think that is a bit extreme. Based on the reactions in this thread, it is clear that many of us would leave WP if MS made such a move. They definitely do care about that. Obviously, the BB and WP crowds are very different folk in this regard. Either way, MS would do a lot of market research to determine what the overall effect would be, before actually going forward.

IMHO the main problem with this, is that it is yet another example of MS focusing on WP's weaknesses. Instead of going to these extremes to minimize a weakness, they should be going to extremes to maximize a few strengths. Until they've done that, steps like this are premature.

 

[Markham Ranja]

I think that is a bit extreme. Based on the reactions in this thread, it is clear that many of us would leave WP if MS made such a move. They definitely do care about that. Obviously, the BB and WP crowds are very different folk in this regard. Either way, MS would do a lot of market research to determine what the overall effect would be, before actually going forward.

IMHO the main problem with this, is that it is yet another example of MS focusing on WP's weaknesses. Instead of going to these extremes to minimize a weakness, they should be going to extremes to maximize a few strengths. Until they've done that, steps like this are premature.

How many is 'many'? Even if a proportion as large as 10% of all current users were to take such a step, and MSFT thought they could get 11% more in their place, they would go ahead with this option. The remaining 90% would be overjoyed that they finally had access to Snapchat or Flappy Candy or whatever the current hotness is, thereby recommending it to their acquaintances and so increasing WP sales.

With regard to your second point, it is debatable, but in my opinion people make the decisions to NOT buy devices based on what they cannot do. Example:

Average customer: WP has live tiles, this Lumia 1020 has a great camera, I like the idea of these Hub things.

MS Store guy: Great, so if you come over here I'll ring up your purchase

Average customer: But wait, what's that? No Candy Crush? DO NOT WANT. I love the phone but all my friends play Candy Crush. I'm just going to go get the new iPhone now"

See what I mean? There are a hundred things about WP that would appeal to the average customer (the Nokia hardware mainly, for me), but one thing, just one small tiny thing and that's a lost sale (for me, this was the lack of an app like Tripit Pro, or my corporate travel agency's app (CWT ToGo)) can prevent people from adopting the platform. This is why I believe MS is doing the right thing, if these rumours are true.

 

[shaurya negi]

Even if it comes,will it be smooth in our hardware? Except Lumia 1520 all processors are of previous generation with only a gigabyte of ram. It will be buggy right? It even lags in a phone like s4 sometimes.

 

[tgp]

I think that is a bit extreme. Based on the reactions in this thread, it is clear that many of us would leave WP if MS made such a move. They definitely do care about that. Obviously, the BB and WP crowds are very different folk in this regard. Either way, MS would do a lot of market research to determine what the overall effect would be, before actually going forward.

I believe Markham Ranja is correct; Microsoft doesn't care about us. For the most part, a company striving for the goodwill of their customers does it for the sake of having happy customers so these customers continue to give the business their money. So Microsoft cares in the sense of retaining customers and gaining new ones, but it's not like they do it just to be nice. They'll take whichever path they feel ultimately brings in the most profit.

In a sense, you're both correct!

 

[a5cent]

I believe Markham Ranja is correct; Microsoft doesn't care about us. For the most part, a company striving for the goodwill of their customers does it for the sake of having happy customers so these customers continue to give the business their money.

If anyone here is so hopelessly romantic as to associate the word "care" with personal affection, I'd say they are insane. I hope it is obvious that "care", in this context, relates to something else entirely, if for no other reason, than the realization that companies are legal constructs and not sentient and emotional beings. This feels more like arguing for the sake of arguing, rather than making a worthwhile point.

The people who work at MS do care however. Not about us individually, but as a group. Their jobs depend on us liking their products and services. For a lot of these folks, it's also a matter of pride, and like all of us, they too hope we like the things they spend many hours of their lives working on. At the end of the day though, their job is to appeal to as many people as possible, and if they feel they must alienate a minority to please a majority, they will. That's just business. Just like with everything else, nobody can make everyone happy all of the time.

Hopefully we have no more misconceptions here in regard to what "care" means.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

I believe Markham Ranja is correct; Microsoft doesn't care about us. For the most part, a company striving for the goodwill of their customers does it for the sake of having happy customers so these customers continue to give the business their money. So Microsoft cares in the sense of retaining customers and gaining new ones, but it's not like they do it just to be nice. They'll take whichever path they feel ultimately brings in the most profit.

In a sense, you're both correct!

Microsoft is a company, of course they don't care. Caring is what living beings do.

 

[a5cent]

How many is 'many'? Even if a proportion as large as 10% of all current users were to take such a step, and MSFT thought they could get 11% more in their place, they would go ahead with this option.

Absolutely agree. That is why I said a considerable amount of market research would be invested towards determining what the trade-offs are. Only if that is expected to result in a net positive, would MS go forward. Given an expected net positive however, they would go forward, even if that meant loosing 99% of their current customers. I don't think we disagree on this.

Average customer: But wait, what's that? No Candy Crush? DO NOT WANT. I love the phone but all my friends play Candy Crush. I'm just going to go get the new iPhone now".

I see what you mean. To a degree you are contradicting yourself however. Your point is that what a device cannot do, will more strongly influence consumers to reject a device, than what a device can do, has the ability to attract consumers. Yet at the same time, in your example, it was the iPhone's ability to play Candy Crush that won the day. It was something the iPhone could do, that made the sale.

We might be describing the same coin, but just from opposite sides. It might be worth considering this from another angle however. Could it be, that it wasn't necessarily the lack of Candy Crush that lost this sale, but rather that the slightly better camera and Live Tiles weren't desirable enough to sacrifice Candy Crush over? I suspect that this is closer to how consumer psychology works. You need to give consumers something to get excited over. While a slightly better camera and Live Tiles are nice, both lack the ability to excite, whereas the idea of playing Candy Crush with friends can do that. WP would have had to offer something else that excites the consumer even more, and Candy Crush would likely have been sacrificed. That is what I suspect anyway.

 

[IlkkaV]

Bringing Android app support to the platform would kill most developer incentive for developing native WP apps. That in turn would more or less mark the death of the platform. At least I wouldn't see any point in sticking with WP when even MS has given up. I'd go back to iOS full time. If I wanted to run Android apps, I'd buy an Android device.