Microsoft's Mobile Strategy

[BajanSaint69]

Post build, I think we are beginning to see what Microsoft is up to. "Your Phone" will put Microsoft on every Android and iPhone out there. Making them "on ramps" to the Microsoft Cloud. And possibly we will have Andromeda, which would be a Surface Tablet that runs Windows software and btw can make calls. This pushes Microsoft effectively into everyone's hands and leverages the company's strength in PCs.

There's an old quote about the difference between leadership and management. If you imagine a group of explorers hacking their way through the jungle, management is consumed with getting through the jungle as quickly as possible, leadership is climbing up a tree and realizing you are in the wrong jungle to start with. I think that's what has happened with Microsoft and mobile.

Nadella could have fought the mobile phone battle to a standstill and would have lost the opportunity to dominate the cloud and the next battlefield. This strategy makes whatever type of mobile device you are on irrelevant. So while we are getting excited about Andromeda and how it will "put Microsoft back in the mobile game" the reality is that Andromeda is going to be a bit player battle (albeit an important one) in a much larger war. Andromeda has the potential to upend the mobile market, but whether it's successful or not Microsoft will actually be okay.

Do you agree with this assessment or not?

 

[techiez]

Post build, I think we are beginning to see what Microsoft is up to. "Your Phone" will put Microsoft on every Android and iPhone out there. Making them "on ramps" to the Microsoft Cloud. And possibly we will have Andromeda, which would be a Surface Tablet that runs Windows software and btw can make calls. This pushes Microsoft effectively into everyone's hands and leverages the company's strength in PCs.

There's an old quote about the difference between leadership and management. If you imagine a group of explorers hacking their way through the jungle, management is consumed with getting through the jungle as quickly as possible, leadership is climbing up a tree and realizing you are in the wrong jungle to start with. I think that's what has happened with Microsoft and mobile.

Nadella could have fought the mobile phone battle to a standstill and would have lost the opportunity to dominate the cloud and the next battlefield. This strategy makes whatever type of mobile device you are on irrelevant. So while we are getting excited about Andromeda and how it will "put Microsoft back in the mobile game" the reality is that Andromeda is going to be a bit player battle (albeit an important one) in a much larger war. Andromeda has the potential to upend the mobile market, but whether it's successful or not Microsoft will actually be okay.

Do you agree with this assessment or not?

I dont think Andromeda is their backdoor entry to mobile. Its going to be a niche device, costing upwardly of 1500-2000$.

We all have heard abt how ACPCs have underperformed when in emulation mode so all this talk of having windows programs running on a mobile device as an alternative to apps gets thrown out of window, then what is left for the device to do, thats I dont think it will be something that competes with a smartphone, it will be something that complements it, probably will be a ipad killer.