What is Microsoft's ultimate goal for Windows Phone?

[runamuck83]

I'm curious what your thoughts are as to this question -

What do you believe (or what do we know) Microsoft's ultimate goal is for Windows Phone? Is it to be #1? Is it to just be another offering of their portfolio or products? Is it meant to be a complimentary device for businesses running a primarily-windows based infrastructure?

Is it to be the #1 business phone? The #1 consumer phone? Both?

 

[Nicholas Maguire]

It's hard to know this. I'd hope they plan for it to gain market share, but it's hard to tell. I hope they at least plan to be number 2.

 

[iamtim]

For my part? I believe Microsoft's ultimate goal for Windows Phone is to capture the last few percentages of users - those who don't use iOS or Android - and get them using Microsoft's services.

They've already said they want to focus on cloud and services; you don't need to push your in-house brand to #1 if your services are the focus. Your in-house brand only needs to be good enough to catch the users who don't want to use the #1 brands. As far as I think Microsoft is concerned... it doesn't matter if the user is on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone as long as they're using OneDrive and Office and the like.

 

[nallWhite]

I picture MS's CEO wearing a WP tshirt with is pockets turned out with his arms and face in the "I dunno position". Someone please PhotoShop this.

 

[Squachy]

Im guessing its just going to be 'there' as one part of their whole windows 10 ecosystem. They'll probably tout win10 as the ideal ecosystem as a whole but I doubt they'll push any one piece as something you need to experience it........

The desktop is one part, the tablets are another part, Xbox will be another part, and phones will be another part. I bet they'll just advertise it as 'hey windows 10 is available on such and such type of device for every part of your life!, one OS, multiple platforms!"

They'll all live or die on how well/poorly received windows10 is.

 

[prasath1234]

They want another os that's it .it cant compete with android or apple.It is sinking ship.
From Windows phone

 

[aximtreo]

If the intent is to capture more of the Smartphone market; enough to turn a profit, I think MS will fail. If the intent is to offer the market a truly seamless platform made up of phones, tablets, desktop and laptop using all of the same MS stable of software, this I think will grow. Each are as a standalone will not and cannot survive in my estimation.

 

[cchen028]

To have more ppl using WP than iphone/android

 

[runamuck83]

From the varied opinions so far, seems like Microsoft has not set the tone very well.

 

[Ebuka Allison]

World domination...that's simply it. If they win the OS wars, they will erect gates and fences faster than you can say "Walled Garden"

 

[theefman]

Not sure they have any goals for WP any more. All the unique WP features like auto upload to OneDrive, office, Xbox (with smartglass) are all on other platforms and for most of their newly introduced services WP isn't the lead platform. Not sure what kind of goals they could have with such a strategy.

 

[realwarder]

Microsoft have always been massive in business. The write once run anywhere is why they are so massive. Business wants this and the fragmentation of many mobile OS os a bad thing that businesses fundamentally dislike as its expensive to support. One Windows is an answer to this.

Xamarin is another which is why they are supporting that too.

The consumer space is an extension of this. The public like integrated services where everything works seamlessly together. That is why Apple does great. One Windows should help provide this too.

 

[Greywolf1967]

I think Microsoft is looking to build a "One Ring to Rule them all" future built on Windows. One drive being it's back bone and heart.

Much like The Photos demo at a Microsoft event, they want everything to be as seamless as that.

Your at home working on a Word Doc, Listening to a Play list, and viewing a Web Page, you turn off your home PC and your phone picks up where you left off, automatically for your trip on the train, then you get to School/Office and your work PC takes over seamlessly.

They are just working the mobile section right now.....so you can do this with any Phone or Tablet. As they know the trip will start and end with a PC.

 

[vEEP pEEP]

They are focusing on services.

Of course they would love their phones to dominate, but are really late to the game. Their disregard for WP 7.x users did not help either.

There are also lots of places (Asia, Africa) that still have room for mobile growth - they might be able to get in there.

Xbox - they have a lot of cool tech there - integrate with my phone. Why would I want Kinect on my phone? Well, someone will find a reason.

They are still business focused company - Office, Outlook, Windows still dominate - I think they are trying to leverage that as business becomes more 24 hours, and less 9-5.

I think they will regain market share in the mobile market in the next couple of years. I think at the expense of Blackberry (whatever is left) and Apple.

A total WAG.

Mr. V

 

[Bagzton]

Honestly, I can't even say! With the way they are running things now, I think WP is just a "bi-product" with their primary focus on cloud and services.

 

[Darthbobcat]

Under Ballmer? Do with phones what they did with PC. Crush all competitors under their mighty thumb.
This did not work out.

Under Satya, I agree that he sees Windows Phone as part of the family of devices. He's made piece with the success of Android and iOS, and while he's going to push Microsoft branded devices running Windows, he's also going to bring their services to other platforms. The OS, which is being given away at the low end, serves as a delivery method for the services like Office, Skype, Bing, etc.

And since I need to get sleep, I'll just say that I don't believe the idea that Satya is going to abandon Windows on phones. If he WAS going to do that, he wouldn't have dropped Nokia X.

 

[techiez]

I'm curious what your thoughts are as to this question -

What do you believe (or what do we know) Microsoft's ultimate goal is for Windows Phone? Is it to be #1? Is it to just be another offering of their portfolio or products? Is it meant to be a complimentary device for businesses running a primarily-windows based infrastructure?

Is it to be the #1 business phone? The #1 consumer phone? Both?

By MS actions it seems, they dont know their goal yet, so they cant decide what to do next or how much importance to give it, whether to go for consumers or to enterprise. as of now it remains some lab project to them.

with W10 concept they might finally have an idea on what to do with a mobile OS but with no details yet I remain skeptical.

 

[BobLobIaw]

I don't know that you can define it in terms of an "ultimate" goal for WP. Sure, MS wants to be the number one OS and dominate the market, but beyond that general goal I think it is much more likely that MS has developed a series of interim goals, with subsequent goals dependent upon the success or failure of the prior goals. Right now, my best guess is that MS will manufacture and promote 3rd party OEM phones running Windows 10 with the goal that the unified OS will be a game-changer and allow WP to develop a buzz and substantially increase market share. Beyond that, it seems difficult to project because WP may take off, remain stagnant or recede like BlackBerry. As to your specific distinction, I don't see any indication at this point that MS is willing to concede either the business or consumer smart phone markets.

 

[DJCBS]

Honestly I don't think they have one.
Ballmer's attack on Nokia was the ultimate proof that Windows Phone flopped. After more than 3 years, it didn't go beyond 3% of marketshare worldwide and such only happened - I'm absolutely sure - because of Nokia's efforts.
There's no real future to WP. Nokia is temporarily gone from the phone business and most definitely out of the WP market, and developers keep dropping support for the platform. Sales are going down and no big OEM wants to join in because there's no profit to be had on Windows Phone. The only Windows Phones that sell well are the low end ones. And low end devices are ALWAYS non-profitable and a burden to the OEMs.

And I think Nadella and this new Microsoft have realised that and are moving towards what I think they should have always done: Microsoft as a software and cloud business. By going platform agnostic with their software and services, Microsoft is much better placed to regain some of its former power.
Windows Phone is done for. With the unification of Windows and Windows Phone, Microsoft will leave Windows on the phone merely as an extention of regular Windows. The WP team will completely disappear into the Windows team and be around only to certify that whatever the Windows team does for the PC is compatible with a mobile version of it. But they won't be wasting more time in trying to push a 3rd OS into the market.

As I see it, Windows Phone will become only a "treat" for those who buy Windows. Microsoft wants to sell you Windows and Office. Then, IF you want, you can get a mobile version of Windows for a phone. If you don't - as the majority doesn't - you'll be able to still get all the Microsoft services on your platform of choice: Android or iOS.

 

[a5cent]

From the varied opinions so far, seems like Microsoft has not set the tone very well.

MS is extremely competent at this kind of stuff when it comes to the enterprise.

It's a shame that MS either can't or prefers not to talk about where they think WP currently stands, and where they intend to take WP going forward. Instead of controlling the debate, MS leaves us mostly in the dark in terms of what their vision for WP is, and how committed they really are. As a result, companies like Unreal (and many others) decide to wait it out, app developers constantly speculate whether their development efforts are time well spent, and in communities like ours we're regularly faced with doom and gloom posts as uncertainty ensues and confidence erodes. That's the last thing a struggling OS with 3% market share needs.

IMHO MS isn't even trying to set the tone. Their developer outreach programs (although too often catering towards absolute beginners) are very good, and they do some marketing campaigns, but as far as I can tell that is about it. IMHO MS should be falling over themselves to have Daniel interview at least one MS executive every month.