Ok... maybe Microsoft dumps Windows Phone.
When I wrote my last post, I hadn't yet read this.
While I can't see Microsoft abandoning Windows Phone out of the blue, I could see them make a strategic alliance. Microsoft and Google don't appear to be outright enemies at this present point in time and if Microsoft perceived that having native Google apps as being key to "saving" Windows, I could see them making a deal.
I would also have to hope that such a deal, if real, were not just in exchange for apps. Windows Phone in the smartphone arena is arguably in the same boat as Chromebook in the laptop arena. A mutual cease fire along with some cooperative efforts could make some sense.
Also, between Satya's email and some of the other moves made around some Bing services it feels like a possibility. I also did admit in my prior email that I felt that their phone division was the most expendable.
If we start thinking of this as credible, what then does the future of phones look like for Microsoft? Simply abandoning it altogether doesn't seem viable. Keep in mind, with Windows 10, phones and small tablets are one in the same to Microsoft. They also cannot really afford to abandon their phone users again. Not to mention, they are more than half way done the OS. Truly "killing" Windows Phone would mean cutting phone support for Windows 10 for tablets... which would effectively mean the second coming of WinRT for small tablet versions. It would also mean not supplying an OEM with an OS even if they wanted one. That seems short-sighted and unlikely.
What I do see as most likely is this (assuming the rumours are founded in truth); Microsoft kills Lumia line over time and either replaces it with a Surface phone or nothing and with Google's blessing integrates a number of Google services much more deeply into Windows 10. Windows 10 for phone continues on (at least temporarily) for existing Lumia owners and OEMs.
Effectively, of course, this means the eventual death of Windows 10 on phones but more of a natural death, than assisted suicide.
Dropping the Lumia line would mean gutting out the supplier of something silly like 90%+ of all units sold. It also eliminates all of the models that are causing issues for Google overseas. Very few of the big OEMs built budget WP devices, and I don't see that changing unless the platform gets serious legs in North America.
The two high-end Lumia's in the pipeline would probably still be released unless there was some exchange of cash as well since these seemed to be far enough through production that it likely makes the most sense to just release them anyway. Especially if the supposed deal allows Microsoft to continue to release high-end Surface like phones. It sounds like Microsoft needs to release these phones anyway. These would basically serve as reference hardware to their partners for Continuum supported devices.
The other side of the possibility is that Microsoft simply abandons Windows 10 for Phone and Small Tablet entirely and builds their own Android derivative with Google's blessing that has access to the Play Store and Google Services. Heck, with the recent things Microsoft has done around backwards compatibility on Xbox One and Projects Astoria and Islandwood, it seems somewhat possible that with Google sanctioning it, that Universal Windows Apps could be executed natively on an Android device.
And that brings me to, perhaps, the most salient part of this. Very recently Google lost their attempts to get Oracle's case against Google's usage of Java thrown out. So now it seems ever more likely that Oracle will be able to get injunctive relief and start demanding licensing fees from Google.
Everyone is looking like at this as plan B for Microsoft. But, it could actually have been a plan B for both companies. A partnership with Google could see .Net apps running on Android as an alternative to Java. In fact, with Google's co-operation, it would probably be possible to compile directly to MSIL.
That is all VERY likely all just wishful thinking. Though, many things much more possible with Satya at the helm of Microsoft.
While I can't see Microsoft abandoning Windows Phone out of the blue, I could see them make a strategic alliance. Microsoft and Google don't appear to be outright enemies at this present point in time and if Microsoft perceived that having native Google apps as being key to "saving" Windows, I could see them making a deal.
I would also have to hope that such a deal, if real, were not just in exchange for apps. Windows Phone in the smartphone arena is arguably in the same boat as Chromebook in the laptop arena. A mutual cease fire along with some cooperative efforts could make some sense.
Also, between Satya's email and some of the other moves made around some Bing services it feels like a possibility. I also did admit in my prior email that I felt that their phone division was the most expendable.
If we start thinking of this as credible, what then does the future of phones look like for Microsoft? Simply abandoning it altogether doesn't seem viable. Keep in mind, with Windows 10, phones and small tablets are one in the same to Microsoft. They also cannot really afford to abandon their phone users again. Not to mention, they are more than half way done the OS. Truly "killing" Windows Phone would mean cutting phone support for Windows 10 for tablets... which would effectively mean the second coming of WinRT for small tablet versions. It would also mean not supplying an OEM with an OS even if they wanted one. That seems short-sighted and unlikely.
What I do see as most likely is this (assuming the rumours are founded in truth); Microsoft kills Lumia line over time and either replaces it with a Surface phone or nothing and with Google's blessing integrates a number of Google services much more deeply into Windows 10. Windows 10 for phone continues on (at least temporarily) for existing Lumia owners and OEMs.
Effectively, of course, this means the eventual death of Windows 10 on phones but more of a natural death, than assisted suicide.
Dropping the Lumia line would mean gutting out the supplier of something silly like 90%+ of all units sold. It also eliminates all of the models that are causing issues for Google overseas. Very few of the big OEMs built budget WP devices, and I don't see that changing unless the platform gets serious legs in North America.
The two high-end Lumia's in the pipeline would probably still be released unless there was some exchange of cash as well since these seemed to be far enough through production that it likely makes the most sense to just release them anyway. Especially if the supposed deal allows Microsoft to continue to release high-end Surface like phones. It sounds like Microsoft needs to release these phones anyway. These would basically serve as reference hardware to their partners for Continuum supported devices.
The other side of the possibility is that Microsoft simply abandons Windows 10 for Phone and Small Tablet entirely and builds their own Android derivative with Google's blessing that has access to the Play Store and Google Services. Heck, with the recent things Microsoft has done around backwards compatibility on Xbox One and Projects Astoria and Islandwood, it seems somewhat possible that with Google sanctioning it, that Universal Windows Apps could be executed natively on an Android device.
And that brings me to, perhaps, the most salient part of this. Very recently Google lost their attempts to get Oracle's case against Google's usage of Java thrown out. So now it seems ever more likely that Oracle will be able to get injunctive relief and start demanding licensing fees from Google.
Everyone is looking like at this as plan B for Microsoft. But, it could actually have been a plan B for both companies. A partnership with Google could see .Net apps running on Android as an alternative to Java. In fact, with Google's co-operation, it would probably be possible to compile directly to MSIL.
That is all VERY likely all just wishful thinking. Though, many things much more possible with Satya at the helm of Microsoft.
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