The United States Dept. of Justice wants Google to give up the keys to Android — Should Microsoft give the "Surface Phone" another try?

[HeyCori]

Hot take: Microsoft should either stick with Android or build a custom OS using AOSP with pre-configured easy sideloading of the Play Store.

Hotter take: Microsoft should build phones exclusively for the Surface ecosystem. Every Surface Phone should come with a mobile version of the Snapdragon X and offer deep integration with ARM Surface PCs. The same level of integration that you can get with an iPhone and Mac is exactly what MS should be offering, if not more given the numerous services that MS offers.

Hottest take: This should all be aimed at businesses. Embrace the niche. An organization that goes all in on Surface PCs might also take a chance on a Surface phone IF it offered a level of integration that other manufacturers can't.

Unfortunately, Satya seems allergic to such a notion. Take the Surface Duo for example, it lagged in features behind Samsung phones. It's shocking that a CEO would allow themselves to be upstaged by a competitor on their own platform. And it's not just the Duo. Windows Mixed Reality never integrated with Hololens which never integrated with Xbox. There's a slew of gaming handhelds being held back because Microsoft hasn't customized Windows for them. Microsoft Movies & TV still hasn't made it to other platforms. And that's despite the fact that the its predecessor, Zune Video Marketplace, was released in 2006!

Basically, if you buy one Microsoft product, buying another won't enhance your MS ecosystem any differently than buying a competitor's product. Sometimes, Satya's one-size-fits-all approach is great for certain situations. But sometimes you just want your $1,000+ device to be able to do something that cheaper devices can't.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Hot take: Microsoft should either stick with Android or build a custom OS using AOSP with pre-configured easy sideloading of the Play Store.

Hotter take: Microsoft should build phones exclusively for the Surface ecosystem. Every Surface Phone should come with a mobile version of the Snapdragon X and offer deep integration with ARM Surface PCs. The same level of integration that you can get with an iPhone and Mac is exactly what MS should be offering, if not more given the numerous services that MS offers.

Hottest take: This should all be aimed at businesses. Embrace the niche. An organization that goes all in on Surface PCs might also take a chance on a Surface phone IF it offered a level of integration that other manufacturers can't.

Unfortunately, Satya seems allergic to such a notion. Take the Surface Duo for example, it lagged in features behind Samsung phones. It's shocking that a CEO would allow themselves to be upstaged by a competitor on their own platform. And it's not just the Duo. Windows Mixed Reality never integrated with Hololens which never integrated with Xbox. There's a slew of gaming handhelds being held back because Microsoft hasn't customized Windows for them. Microsoft Movies & TV still hasn't made it to other platforms. And that's despite the fact that the its predecessor, Zune Video Marketplace, was released in 2006!

Basically, if you buy one Microsoft product, buying another won't enhance your MS ecosystem any differently than buying a competitor's product. Sometimes, Satya's one-size-fits-all approach is great for certain situations. But sometimes you just want your $1,000+ device to be able to do something that cheaper devices can't.

I never knew Microsoft had a movies & TV. Then again, I have Netflix.