Did MS kill Win10 Mobile because it was afraid it would cannibalize Win10 Desktop sales?

[anon(10321802)]

Maybe at the outset, the idea of a phone that could drive a cross-platform computing experience was exciting to Microsoft. But I have to wonder if Microsoft feared that, as Win10 Mobile evolved and became a more robust platform, it might cannibalize sales of Win10 desktop licenses, especially since they waived OEM royalty fees for installing Win10 on devices with displays smaller than 9 inches (correct me if I'm wrong on that).

What other outcome could there have been if features like Continuum were developed to their full potential?

For years I have wanted a single, pocket-sized device that can interface with tablet, laptop, or desktop peripherals and drive a robust user experience on all of them. I want "one device to rule them all".

Maybe HP scared Microsoft with the Elite X3. HP didn't have to pay royalties to license Win10 Mobile, it had its own Lapdock accessory that essentially turns the phone into a laptop whenever you want, and it comes with its own proprietary tech for running Win32 apps (which HP charges extra for).

Sure, if Win10 Mobile started gaining in popularity and it reached a tipping point, Microsoft could have changed their licensing model and charged royalties, but by then the damage to Win10 desktop would have been done.

Am I way off base with this theory?

 

[jsooney]

No, I don't see that at all. MS killed it because it wasn't selling enough. The desktop market has been shrinking for a long time, and it will probably continue to do so with or without WM. MS has done a pretty good job of adjusting and keeping sales and profits up with things like Azure and Outlook 365.

 

[Guytronic]

No #2

 

[kaktus1389]

I find your thesis interesting, although I think that would not be possible in the short term, especially given the MS's relationship with developers. What they were afraid of imo is probably that it would suck their profit from Office and cloud sales.

 

[etphoto]

No #3

 

[T Moore]

No #4

 

[jmshub]

No, I don't think so either. Microsoft was hoping that Windows Phone/Mobile would create a platform that would keep people in the Microsoft universe. Ultimately and unfortunately, WP/WM was just a failure in the marketplace.

 

[Troy Tiscareno]

MS failed with WP/WM because they didn't take the rumors of an Apple smartphone seriously when they first started circulating in 2005, didn't take the phone seriously in 2007 upon release, and moved FAR too slowly afterwards. Google moved very quickly and had a better plan and was able to win the second (and only other) spot on the podium before WP7 was even released.

That's when the race was lost. What happened afterwards really doesn't matter because it couldn't change the fact that Ms (and others) missed the window of time where success was possible.

 

[GibbAgio]

I don't think anyone truly knows what drives Microsoft. Since Gates backed off they just don't seem to have any idea which direction to progress toward. They seem to venerate Apple but haven't really tried to use the same plan to emulate the success of the big fruit.

They got so burned over the Nokia saga that they seem to have lost confidence in their own operating system. They are fearful of what their next move should be in the mobile segment so they seem to have paused all efforts. As usual they are hoping for a reboot with yet another OS launch but they seem oblivious to the simple formula that equals success in the marketplace.

Listen to the customer base and evaluate the success of your strongest competitors. Two points that come to mind are that: Firstly they need at least one device in the market place that is their own and is currently being evolved. Like the iPhone or the Samsung S8 they need a phone of there own. Secondly, the cause of greatest Windows angst among current phone users is the live tile desktop. Surely they could give an option in the phone setup to allow a user to choose a Classic Windows plain desktop with icons as an alternative?