Strategies for Mass Market Phone Sales May not work

[upsidedown]

It is unclear to me how MS is planning to bring people back into the phone ecosystem with anything but a niche product. While I do not know their strategy, it does seem like their view is 'Windows Anywhere' and leverage universal apps across the platforms. That makes perfect sense for business and productivity tools, but I am not so sure it will work for the mass market. Besides, when you see iPhone users constantly playing games, doing social updates, chatting in Facetime... that is the antithesis of productivity.

Even if you believe that developers will write core apps to be universal (and there are significant benefits to operate across PC's, tablets, and phones), there are tens of thousands of single purpose apps that will never need to work on anything but a phone and maybe tablet. Things like automobile status apps, garage doors, home automation, payment apps.. There is no real need to make them work on a full blown PC, and by the very nature the portability of these class of apps may not even be suitable for a tablet. So where does that leave MS?

They can be profitable selling tools to a premium segment, but it does feel like they may have lost the mass market segment of phone consumers.

Add carrier exclusivity in US markets and MS has a tough road ahead in the mobile CONSUMER space.

 

[Jazmac]

"That makes perfect sense for business and productivity tools, but I am not so sure it will work for the mass market. Besides, when you see iPhone users constantly playing games, doing social updates, chatting in Facetime... that is the antithesis of productivity."

One of the oddest definitions and confusing statements describing productivity I've ever read. But this is windows central so carry on.

 

[SnailUK]

Add carrier exclusivity in US markets and MS has a tough road ahead in the mobile CONSUMER space.

Do we think they had a choice? Windows Phones have had minimal support from everyone, even the "exclusives". Even when they are in shops, they are hidden at the back with nobody trying to sell them to you.

Having one or two Telcos that actually put a little effort into selling the phones is surely better than having the phone everywhere, with nobody making any effort to sell them?

 

[upsidedown]

I should have retitled the post to say "MS Strategies for Mass Market Phone Sales May not work.

 

[a5cent]

there are tens of thousands of single purpose apps that will never need to work on anything but a phone and maybe tablet. Things like automobile status apps, garage doors, home automation, payment apps.. There is no real need to make them work on a full blown PC, and by the very nature the portability of these class of apps may not even be suitable for a tablet. So where does that leave MS?

You're right. It leaves MS nowhere. Native Windows Phone apps of that sort on W10M are dead. Most developers who have made apps of that sort for WP will be jumping ship. This is where Astoria and Islandwood are meant to pick up the slack, at least until universal apps come into their own and consumer apps start trickling down to MS' mobile platform as well. Some companies have already committed to doing so (e.g. Facebook), but obviously nowhere near enough.

Will it work? I have no idea. It will be interesting to watch...

 

[Spectrum90]

If Microsoft sells only 1 million phones per quarter, would developers use Islandwood/Astoria to publish their iOS/Android apps on the Windows store? I don't think so.

Microsoft needs volume to get even the lowest developers' commitment.