Is Windows Phone really dead

[Anurag singh12]

With sales declining by 57%, are the days of Windows Phone really over?
Websites like Verge has already declared the OS as dead. And Microsoft doesn't really care about it. Last 3 phones- 950/XL and 550 didn't made any impact on the market. And the upcoming Lumia 650 is also on the same line. I don't think that the rumored Surface Phone will change the situation much if Microsoft continues the same attitude.

So is it safe to assume that Windows Phone is dead?

 

[jmshub]

Still a big case of putting the cart before the horse. The 950/XL and 550 are still on sale. While I agree they won't be hitting iPhone levels of sales this quarter, it's not like they've been pulled by carriers or anything.

Microsoft is still developing and improving Windows 10 Mobile. So, any rumors of Windows 10's death are slightly exaggerated.

 

[jeetu4444]

Well we all know windows phone is not in the race anymore...microsoft clearly stated new phone are phone fans...where i see it...i just purchases the lumia 950ds around 1 month back....iam really lovin and will keep buying till microsoft makes them....i love the live tile look and feel...os is very fast and snappy. Camera is superb...i need all that it has dual sim...sd card slot awesome screen...wireless charging...iris scanner and way more...
All i see is bright future for windows mobile 10 and universal apps...i also purchased surface pro 4 from new york i was there last month....
Soo iam very happy with windows OS
Now it depends on people what they like and if they are apps obesssed or work needed....thou i also have lg G4 and will always have 2 phones....just that nothing comes close to wm10
I find ios very boring and handcuffed

 

[anurag_singh]

There is no doubt that Windows 10 mobile is a good alternative to iOS and android. Live tiles,continuum, Iris scanner, Cortana... There is a long list of unique features of Windows OS. But what's is the point of having all this if nobody is buying the phone. Microsoft need to put their phone in hands of more and more people. Not everybody cares about app gap. There are millions of people who dont need Snapchat. Make a phone for them. Something like Lumia 520.keep the pricing accordingly. Once people start using the phone and get a feel of OS, they will continue to use it. But you can see what is actually happening. Next Lumia 650 looks so good by its design. But what about its internals? And most probably at its launch, it will be priced so ridiculously that only windows fans will end up buying it..

 

[skstrials]

In North America, it certainly seems that way.

Back when 920 and 1020 first launched, MS had a pretty big ad campaign on TV and online.

Now, it seems that they are barely advertising their phones.

And here in Canada, not a single carrier is carrying the 950 and 950XL. They can only be had from MS store in Canada. Back in 2013, all Canadian carriers had 920 and 1020.

Nevertheless, I do not see MS dropping Windows Mobile any time soon.

Posted via the Windows Central App for BlackBerry

 

[gourav mopidevi]

why windows phone fall?

nokia/microsoft don't know which audience to target.....i'm from india so i talk keeping india in my mind...

apple target premium segment they succeed...only rich ppl buy apple if some other user using apple i'm sure they have relatives who are living in usa(mostly claim and send them to india)...now apple wants to improve it's sale in next battle ground india so they decided to increase advertising,these day's i'm watching nearly 4-5ads in 1hr.they also started emi option.

google/android omg! so much junk these days..gone days when i bought s3 in 2012 where if you want good device u have to shell premium price..those days chinese use to make some ****** devices with 3/4 loud speakers .... fast forward 2014/15...chinese oems started enterning next battle ground india with premium devices,low price,online sales.....so samsung started emi option too.

nokia used to have great name...still windows doesn't sold great..they just don't know whom to target(apple/android/make own customers)...they chose make own customers(majority guys who are still supporting windows phone)...elop was right for not selecting android as future(see htc,sony,etc don't make huge profit,samsung started to suffer too because of cheap chinese oem)...elop should have choosed android(short term) and windows(for future) in that way nokia would have been competing samsung and i guess microsoft doesn't give **** about windows mobile anyway.

many know microsoft doesn't give importance to windows mobile..apple/android have ability to copy(fast)..wp7(****),wp7.5(dog ****)...wp8(okay),wp8.1(fine)....so microsft took 3 major iterations to include general features like action center/cortana/folders etc....even win10 lacks many features which are present in android and apple..

apart from apps there are more problems like lack of dedication from microsoft,lack of oems(cheap devices like android),lack of interest targeting consumer of competion platforms,lack of processor support to build cheap device,lack of word of mouth,lack of intilligent advertising(learn chinese oem(xiaomi/one plus one)...many ppl in india think gmail is best compare to yahoo...they even don't know outlook is an email client...IT ppl think outlook is only used in office phew.

no surface mobile doesn't help windows because remember surface rt version...surface pro 3 was hit because it run win10 full version...can surface mobile run windows full version...no,i think they just move continuum dock components into mobile.

windows mobile have alot of potiential microsoft must invest in some startup who can make cheap devices like chinese oems(who don't want to make windows mobile) and copy good/useful features as fast as they can from apple and android plus include their own features instead of using iphone during holidays or making iphone,iphone pro...

no win10 is not dead until satya say so..i think in future they release single device like iphone and handover low,mid to other oems(if windows 10 succeed) otherwise they decrease their resources more...so i think windows mobile not going to end.

 

[jeetu4444]

Microsoft has enough money to keep making windows phones till there are buyers

 

[damonator98]

Windows mobile will be alive till you use it in your phone. As far as updates go, there will quite a few considering ms has no plans to stop wm10 developement. I think that WM has to have that unique "something" while having all or more features that other oses have. In this way it could succed among others. It's hard for me to imagine wm becoming really popular at least now when ms is making dome kind of uncontroled mess. . Sadest part is that number of users = apps.

 

[elindalyne]

I think it's important to realize that Microsoft's strategy is not a short term one. Modern smartphones have only really existed for 8 1/2 years and a lot can change in terms of user interaction within the next 3, 5 or 10 years. We are absolutely not at the peak of mobile innovation so I don't think it would be smart for Microsoft to kill the Windows as a mobile OS if they want to catch the "iphone-style" mobile revolution.

 

[fdalbor]

Dont know what will happen, but i do know i will keep my 640 in case they ever upgrade them to W10. I have moved on to a high end mid-range Android phone as my main phone. Got tired of waiting for "(comming soon)". But my 640 will keep me in the windows game. If they dont improve the situation it will probably be my last Windows phone. But now that i think about it i bought my first Windows phone (3 years ago) not because it had Windows on it, but because it was a Nokia. Thee Nokia i had before that ( a feature phone) lasted 8 years and actually still works.

 

[DrPuppy]

I don't think WM10 is going anywhere.

Microsoft is very aware that mobile is the future of computing. The last Lumia phones of this release cycle were, as they said, for the fans who wanted updated hardware. The fans are often times people on the Insider release cycle and "in the know". This really is their "retrenching" phase, as their vision of the OS on mobiles is relatively incomplete. This vision is a seamless Windows OS everywhere, and it's in its infancy at this point. There is incentive to make apps simply because they can target (mostly) anything running W10, which is a lot of machines and devices. It'll become harder to ignore at a certain point, because it'll be simply everywhere. Project Centennial is a good example (it brings Win32 apps to the Store). So like a package manager for Windows.

It's not as if they knew this wasn't coming either. They didn't advertise the phones because it didn't jive with their vision and it wasn't their best step forward. They knew this. It wasn't going to win the hearts and minds of those on other OSes. They know it wasn't ready for primetime. Their next step, however, will be their best step forward. Those of us giving feedback with the Insider program are helping to further that goal in terms of software. The mobile market is reaching maturity and products are offering less and less in terms of differentiating features, benefits from prior years models, and iterations of the same UI. Matias Duarte of Google lamented the stale state of phone UI in December, and really doesn't know where to go from here. The market is definitely primed for a change.

Everyone was down on the Surface when it first came out and still were up until last year, and said that Microsoft should just quit making hardware. Bing was another one people said should just pack up shop, it's a waste. Again, it's doing very well as of late. HoloLens was a total surprise, and shows they're looking into the future of computing.

They're definitely learning, contrary to what some people may think, and definitely turning things around. Surface slowly but surely set a tone for tablets and hybrids. It's not unthinkable that the same could happen with phones.

 

[Williaml99]

If they want it not to be dead the next MS try needs to include Verizon. Nearest AT&T tower is 35 miles from here. I have been using MS phones on Verizon
since the thera. approved Feb 8, 2002
Audiovox Thera / Toshiba 2032 Specs, Features (Phone Scoop)

Verizon has supported me and my wife/family and friends on windows phone for many years and we supported them for many years. I don't really have faith MS will go to the trouble to work with Verizon. If they don't I will have to make a decision between Android or IOS.

 

[HeyCori]

Is Windows Phone dead? Yes and no.

WC just re-posted a great article from a few months ago that better explain what to expect from Windows Phone.

Viewing Windows phone in the proper context | Windows Central

"In the near term, we will run a more effective phone portfolio, with better products and speed to market. We'll bring business customers the best management, security and productivity experiences they need; value phone buyers the communications services they want; and Windows fans the flagship devices they'll love." ? Nadella July 8, 2015

And as the article explains, Microsoft is only targeting three markets - fans, businesses, emerging markets/value customers. Mass market success is no longer part of their short term goal.

Long term, Microsoft clearly wants to leverage the success of Windows 10. And remember, long term for us is different than long term for Microsoft. Long term for us is like half a year. lol

Windows 10 is already on 200 million devices with a goal of 1 billion. The new strategy is simply to be too big to ignore. That's going to take some time. That's fine for Microsoft since they have money in the bank and their over 90% dominance of the desktop market isn't fading any time soon. However, it's not so fine for general consumers, since many are more worried about what they're buying in a few months as opposed to a few years.

So Windows Phone isn't technically dead, but Microsoft isn't looking to make it a mass market success either. It's hard to say how - long term - this will affect app development. Remember, Microsoft is still working on Project Islandwood and the Universal App Platform. Both platforms are more important to Windows 10 as a whole, and indirectly they will have an affect on Windows tablets and phones. Microsoft isn't exiting the market, they're just ensuring that Windows 10 spreads faster than their phones.

 

[jason10mm]

I don't think WM10 is going anywhere.

Microsoft is very aware that mobile is the future of computing....They're definitely learning, contrary to what some people may think, and definitely turning things around. Surface slowly but surely set a tone for tablets and hybrids. It's not unthinkable that the same could happen with phones.

THIS. MS knows that in 10-15 years (maybe less) there won't be any computers you can't pick up and put into your pocket. Everything else will just be for display and input. Mobile is the ONLY future for computing. So they gotta get in there before Google or Apple broach the Office suite or enterprise monopoly and kill MS completely. But the hardware just isn't there. So they are using their very low marketshare as a proving ground for mobile ideas to keep their software and hardware folks experienced in that arena until the hardware can manage a passable mobile PC experience. MS can't just hire a bunch of apple/android software guys 6 months before they are ready to roll out a PC phone. So they are willing to take the loss and all the criticism on WM10 just to carry through till they can cut the Gordian knot that removes phones as a separate software ecosystem from PCs.

At least that is what I tell myself MS has to be TERRIFIED that apple will somehow snatch Office from them or that Google will win over businesses with low cost PCs running android. I think they feel that they can win, in time, with a PC phone and watch as Apple tumbles to the ground as soon as the iphone craze fades out in favor of some other device. I don't think Apple will ever make an iOS PC cheap enough to win over businesses, but you never know.

Eventually folks will have a phone that docks with various levels of powered systems for home gaming, school tablet use, etc. But large businesses will probably never let employees walk home with the office computer so there will always be a need for an anchored PC in the workplace. I hope MS doesn't retreat into just this workplace PC realm, leaving consumer computing behind (aside from Office apps). I think they can craft a strong niche of MS made phones, tablets, and PCs just like Apple with the added benefit of substantial workplace crossover.

 

[anon(6078578)]

Dont know what will happen, but i do know i will keep my 640 in case they ever upgrade them to W10. I have moved on to a high end mid-range Android phone as my main phone. Got tired of waiting for "(comming soon)". But my 640 will keep me in the windows game. If they dont improve the situation it will probably be my last Windows phone. But now that i think about it i bought my first Windows phone (3 years ago) not because it had Windows on it, but because it was a Nokia. Thee Nokia i had before that ( a feature phone) lasted 8 years and actually still works.

To be honest I think that was partly my reason too. I was using a Nokia Symbian Phone and had to make a choice at the time to move either to an Android or Windows Phone, since I wasn't prepared to shell out for an iPhone. The Nokia Lumia 521 was one of the few things they did right in my opinion as it got me on board. It was better than Android at the time, and the other reason I got it, was that the camera was very good for such a low cost phone. In fact the Camera was also one of the reasons I got my Lumia 640. The mistake in my opinion was they never came up with a Lumia 640 type phone back then when I wanted to upgrade the 521. I'm sure there were many like me who wanted to jump from the 521 to a better phone but were not prepared to jump all the way to a flagship yet. That and the app gap made me jump to Android for a bit.

I came back to windows phone via the 640 because it gave me a sense of deja vu in that I thought the Lumia 640 was the Goldilocks device. Not long after, they laid off the Nokia employees. I then thought that can't be sending a good message, regardless of whether it was necessary or not.

If Windows Phone had had only had a high end flagship device like a Surface Phone at the time, I would never have come aboard since 1) I don't need a flagship phone and 2) even then it wasn't certain Windows Phone had a future, so I certainly would've balked at spending that much.

 

[Wurstsalat]

dead? yes completly

windows as end user Plattform will follow...Microsoft will transform to a service provider, Nadellas way!

I think it is the wrong way but for me its clearly the way Microsoft runs at the moment

 

[FearL0rd]

#1

lets make some noise on twitter. twit #SAVEWINDOWSMOBILE

@BillGates @satyanadella @GabeAul @Windows @WinPhoneSupport @windowscentral @windowsdev @tomwarren #SAVEWINDOWSMOBILE​

 

[xandros9]

My inner webOS fan is chuckling a bit right now.

 

[Jazmac]

Still a big case of putting the cart before the horse. The 950/XL and 550 are still on sale. While I agree they won't be hitting iPhone levels of sales this quarter, it's not like they've been pulled by carriers or anything.

Microsoft is still developing and improving Windows 10 Mobile. So, any rumors of Windows 10's death are slightly exaggerated.

More than slightly exaggerated if you ask me. The verge has been chomping at the bit to push this story. Including holding a mock Windows Phone funeral. But it is the nature of blogs like the Verge to exaggerate, embellish, spin and outright lie to persuade the mobile community how to think about this phone.

This product is morphing from Windows Phone 7 and it is going to take time to complete. It has to be tested, torn apart and tested again. It has to have one bullet proof OS since it will be paired with its operating system with tighter integration than any other mobile platform. That takes time. Smart phone buyers don't have to wait around until that happens and many don't. And that's expected. The verge has a very simpleminded audience and simpleminded bloggers. All they have ever developed is a keen sense of selling technical dishonesty and making that mainstream. It works and it sells ad space. But that isn't the truth. Its pure sophistry

But you cannot deny the improvements in this OS and understand that its not a finished product. Usable yes, but still being developed.

 

[Kram Sacul]