Windows 10 Mobile Needs To Be Put Out of Its Misery (betanews.com)

From a column on BetaNews: It's time for Microsoft to pull the plug. Windows 10 Mobile has been on life support for a long time, and the software giant is only making things worse by not giving it the mercy killing it deserves. It may sound harsh, but there's no future for Windows on smartphones in its current state. Microsoft wants to keep the door open to future developments but, let's face it, when it decided to sell Samsung's new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ through its stores it basically sealed its own platform's fate. There is no turning back from this. We know it and its fans know it too. [...] Really, the only reason I can see Microsoft developing Windows 10 Mobile -- or Windows on smartphones -- further is to give its fans the illusion that something could happen. One day. Someday. Eventually. Maybe. Hopefully. If all the stars align. And Apple and Google and all the other successful vendors are wiped out from the face of the Earth. Hey, it could happen!

Comments

Windows 10 Mobile is a Benchwarmer

[lowkeyknight]

Microsoft are just holding on for a cycle or three until they get a functional surface-phone that can dock-&-desktop up and running. Then it will die off.

Re:Windows 10 Mobile is a Benchwarmer

[Anonymous Coward]

That's roughly what people have been saying since Windows CE. That Microsoft would *eventually*, *very soon* swoop in and eat everyone's lunch in the mobile computer space. And when *cough* *cough* analysts failed in their predictions, they claimed that Microsoft just put the project in the back burner for later. You just wait and see, next generation is going to be awesome.

The fact of the matter is that, since then, Nokia rose and fell, Blackberry dominated and then became a shell of its former self, the iPhone set the new standard for what a mobile device is supposed to "be" for a decade and beyond, Android spreads like a virus and people are putting tiny computers into watches that nobody wants or needs. Oh, and Apple removed the headphone jack.

Microsoft had plenty of opportunities to "do something about it", but all of their mobile products have been pretty half-assed so far.

This indicates that they don't really have a clue on how to tackle the mobile space.

I like my Windows Phone

[Anonymous Coward]

But I can't make a straight-faced recommendation that anyone else get one because of the lack of apps available. It's a great choice if you don't want to be spied on :-)

When this thing finally breaks, I can't see getting another one.

Analysts/Pundits

[HideyoshiJP]

Analysts and pundits have been telling Microsoft to do this for some time. Personally, I think they need to get out of the business of telling Microsoft how to run theirs. Microsoft has a vested interest staying in the mobile space, even if their phones don't sell shit. The personal computing market is so spread out across the spectrum of devices, people's primary way of digital interaction can change a easily as the wind. If Microsoft does not stay in this space, they will be ill-prepared for this.

Windows on Phone *is* beyond saving, but ...

[Anonymous Coward]

... only because MS could never convince PHONE app developers that it was worth using. It always was a bit player, and has become irrelevant given the Google-Apple ownership of the market.

Full disclosure: I do have a Windows phone. For the most part, I like it.

What's special about Windows on a phone?

Primarily, the user interface. As much as the tile orientation stinks on a desktop or non-touch laptop, it makes great sense and works very well on a phone. Better, really, than the way stock or most phone makers' Android implementations do.

Also:
* Multitasking works well, though that's also true of the competition.
* If you join the Insider program, you can get system updates and even upgrades well beyond the year or 2 that most phone carriers will support anything - regularizing that (so you don't have to be an Insider to be independent of carrier lack of support) would make Windows more like Apple.
* Even in 10 (was better in 8.1), hardware requirements are somewhat less than for Android. Same Snapdragon etc. processors, but Windows runs acceptably in half the RAM of Android. Which is funny because in the non-Mobile world it's the other way around (Linux runs decently in half the RAM of Windows).

So what to do? Since MS seems to be moving all of its mobile stuff to Android, move the UI as well. After all, it's just a shell anyway. Then, if the corporation eventually gets back into the phone-mobile game on its own, think about some way to do an Apple but do it right (unlike previous attempts).

Re:I don't see why

[AvitarX]

It's quite nice too.

My girlfriend had one through work for a while, there were no apps, but it could browse the internet quite well, was an inexpensive phone, pretty darned thin, and had a real all day battery.

At a time when that was impressive, I'm surprised it didn't take off, there are plenty of people that just want internet, GPS, and a camera.