The problem with 1st party software suppliers buying OEM's
Perception. That is the problem.
Microsoft finished their acquisition of Nokia not long ago, but still it seems newsworthy to talk about the fact that Microsoft is releasing the Nokia X2 line which is Android based rather than Windows Phone based.
I talked about this when Jobs stepped down at Apple, and several times since. The iPad Mini for example, was release long after Jobs left the scene. But this doesn't mean he wasn't involved in it. Far from it in fact. I work in a company that delivers software only. And software much smaller than an OS at that. Our product road maps (while they may not remain static) can stretch several iterations and thus several years into the future.
Hardware is much the same. The Xbox One was in the works for years before it was released. It is absurd to think that something like the iPad Mini was any different.
And the same goes for this Nokia X2 lineup. Sure, Microsoft COULD have scrapped it. It wasn't unveiled until after their acquisition of Nokia was completed. And, not releasing it may have been better than releasing it and being seen to support Android. But then again, maybe those assumptions are wrong. Really hard to say since they cannot simultaneously do something and not do something and compare the outcome.
The fact is, Nokia had spent time and effort developing this new platform. In fact, almost all of the R&D would have happened under Nokia's ownership. And, apparently the original lineup of Nokia X phones are selling well in emerging markets.
Yeah, it LOOKS like Microsoft is supporting Android. But in reality, all they are doing is making the most of a rather costly investment. Throwing out project so close to completion means effectively throwing away free money. And I'm sure Microsoft's investors and shareholders wouldn't get on board with such a decision. Therein lies probably the bigger problem. Microsoft is a publicly traded company and many of their decisions need to be in the best interest of their shareholders. Throwing away a product this close to completion would be the exact opposite.
If it sees even moderate success in these emerging markets, it will quickly pay off any cost incurred to Microsoft since the acquisition and turn into profit. Profits help ensure Microsoft retains that division in the long run, and in the short run means job security for those Microsoft acquired along with the business.
It is a move which is fiscally responsible, as it means not throwing out money in the name of vanity. And it means moral responsibility as it is a move that will undoubtedly protect jobs. It is also a great move for morality within the acquired hardware division. I'm not a budget phone kind of guy, but if I worked hard for years on those phones only to see them thrown out before a single one was sold I would not be happy. Allowing the product a chance would improve my reception of the acquisition itself.
The only negative is public perception. The public perceives this as Microsoft supporting Android. But then, is that really a negative? Most of the big players don't play nice together and the only people who get hurt are the consumers. Google has more popular support than Microsoft at the moment, and so I don't think it hurts them at all really, and maybe ends up helping their image a bit.
Toss this in the "it will never happen bucket" but I would actually be happy to see Microsoft invest more effort in Android. If they built a version of their Windows Phone runtime to run on Android in a JVM like perspective, the entire Windows Phone app store could be brought to Android. This is of course an insane task with a billion caveats. But imagine the investment value for developers. Especially with universal apps in .Net. Being able to target Android, Windows Phone, Windows, Windows RT and Xbox all with a single codebase that leverages Microsoft's superior development tools. While not everyone would jump aboard, I imagine many existing developers would make the switch, and I imagine it would become the go to approach for newer developers. The value would be incredible. Since .Net is JIT compiled, it isn't technically "impossible".
Microsoft finished their acquisition of Nokia not long ago, but still it seems newsworthy to talk about the fact that Microsoft is releasing the Nokia X2 line which is Android based rather than Windows Phone based.
I talked about this when Jobs stepped down at Apple, and several times since. The iPad Mini for example, was release long after Jobs left the scene. But this doesn't mean he wasn't involved in it. Far from it in fact. I work in a company that delivers software only. And software much smaller than an OS at that. Our product road maps (while they may not remain static) can stretch several iterations and thus several years into the future.
Hardware is much the same. The Xbox One was in the works for years before it was released. It is absurd to think that something like the iPad Mini was any different.
And the same goes for this Nokia X2 lineup. Sure, Microsoft COULD have scrapped it. It wasn't unveiled until after their acquisition of Nokia was completed. And, not releasing it may have been better than releasing it and being seen to support Android. But then again, maybe those assumptions are wrong. Really hard to say since they cannot simultaneously do something and not do something and compare the outcome.
The fact is, Nokia had spent time and effort developing this new platform. In fact, almost all of the R&D would have happened under Nokia's ownership. And, apparently the original lineup of Nokia X phones are selling well in emerging markets.
Yeah, it LOOKS like Microsoft is supporting Android. But in reality, all they are doing is making the most of a rather costly investment. Throwing out project so close to completion means effectively throwing away free money. And I'm sure Microsoft's investors and shareholders wouldn't get on board with such a decision. Therein lies probably the bigger problem. Microsoft is a publicly traded company and many of their decisions need to be in the best interest of their shareholders. Throwing away a product this close to completion would be the exact opposite.
If it sees even moderate success in these emerging markets, it will quickly pay off any cost incurred to Microsoft since the acquisition and turn into profit. Profits help ensure Microsoft retains that division in the long run, and in the short run means job security for those Microsoft acquired along with the business.
It is a move which is fiscally responsible, as it means not throwing out money in the name of vanity. And it means moral responsibility as it is a move that will undoubtedly protect jobs. It is also a great move for morality within the acquired hardware division. I'm not a budget phone kind of guy, but if I worked hard for years on those phones only to see them thrown out before a single one was sold I would not be happy. Allowing the product a chance would improve my reception of the acquisition itself.
The only negative is public perception. The public perceives this as Microsoft supporting Android. But then, is that really a negative? Most of the big players don't play nice together and the only people who get hurt are the consumers. Google has more popular support than Microsoft at the moment, and so I don't think it hurts them at all really, and maybe ends up helping their image a bit.
Toss this in the "it will never happen bucket" but I would actually be happy to see Microsoft invest more effort in Android. If they built a version of their Windows Phone runtime to run on Android in a JVM like perspective, the entire Windows Phone app store could be brought to Android. This is of course an insane task with a billion caveats. But imagine the investment value for developers. Especially with universal apps in .Net. Being able to target Android, Windows Phone, Windows, Windows RT and Xbox all with a single codebase that leverages Microsoft's superior development tools. While not everyone would jump aboard, I imagine many existing developers would make the switch, and I imagine it would become the go to approach for newer developers. The value would be incredible. Since .Net is JIT compiled, it isn't technically "impossible".
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