No Intel in Lumia Phones! Why were people expecting that anyway?
Best article I saw last night before I went to bed? This one!
I mean seriously? People were expecting Intel powered Lumia phones at next weeks event? This was borderline impossible. Not because it is technically impossible, but there were a number of factors that basically cemented this.
Lets start with Continuum for Phones. There are currently ZERO vendors of such devices. And from the demonstrations, there are aspects of this technology which are unique to the mobile OS. Including, for instance, that just because you're docked to a monitor and keyboard, you still cannot run x86 apps. Microsoft needs a vessel for this technology. If it were running on x86 processors it would be running Windows 10 and it WOULD NOT be Continuum for Phone, it would just be Continuum.
Timelines are another solid reason. Cityman and Talkman rumors (which are the now multiple times leaked 950 and 950XL that will be unveiled next week) have been in the works for several months now. Intel hasn't really had a chipset in that timeline that they could have been used in a phone. These are also Lumia branded phones, which as a brand run their mobile OS. Leaving them branded as Lumia (and leaks on the name are almost equally old) but not running the same OS would create a super confusing situation.
The very existence of Windows 10 for Phones and Small Tablets is another nail in the coffin. If Microsoft abandons their own mobile platform on their very first Win10 devices, their OEMs will follow suit. The mobile version of Windows 10 would have been a HUGE waste of time. They want the OS succeed even if it is the wrong OS. They also want to be seen as trying not to abandon their users again as they did with WP8.
You could probably sit here and spit ball a hundred other tinier reasons. But I think those are a good enough starting point. The devices were half baked as ARM handsets long ago, the Lumia brand is associated with ARM and their mobile offerings and they need to justify the existence of the OS and their accessories.
I can almost guarantee that there will be an x86, full Windows 10 phone in the future. And, it probably will come from Microsoft first. But I think we are 1-2 years off of that, and that device will bear the Surface branding.
1-2 years isn't really that far off. But Nadella seems to be quick to axe things that don't deliver and I don't see their mobile OS getting enough steam to avoid being chopped. I also think we're close to a viable mobile Intel chipset if they don't already have one. Right now however, they need to give some breathing room to their OEMs and customers. If I were a betting man, next year would see both a Lumia and Surface phone (barring unexpected mass adoption of their new Lumia phones). By releasing an x86 handset they would be signalling that the ARM based lineup was dying, but by releasing a new Lumia as well they would be promising to keep it on life support long enough for customers to upgrade to x86 phones. With UWP apps, it should remove any concerns of losing apps or data.
I also think they need at least a year to finish getting into Windows 10 the features from their phone OS that are still missing. Quiet hours, car mode, a phone app, support for cellular chips, etc... Clearly, those things (among others) need to be in the OS before it can be on a phone.
I mean seriously? People were expecting Intel powered Lumia phones at next weeks event? This was borderline impossible. Not because it is technically impossible, but there were a number of factors that basically cemented this.
Lets start with Continuum for Phones. There are currently ZERO vendors of such devices. And from the demonstrations, there are aspects of this technology which are unique to the mobile OS. Including, for instance, that just because you're docked to a monitor and keyboard, you still cannot run x86 apps. Microsoft needs a vessel for this technology. If it were running on x86 processors it would be running Windows 10 and it WOULD NOT be Continuum for Phone, it would just be Continuum.
Timelines are another solid reason. Cityman and Talkman rumors (which are the now multiple times leaked 950 and 950XL that will be unveiled next week) have been in the works for several months now. Intel hasn't really had a chipset in that timeline that they could have been used in a phone. These are also Lumia branded phones, which as a brand run their mobile OS. Leaving them branded as Lumia (and leaks on the name are almost equally old) but not running the same OS would create a super confusing situation.
The very existence of Windows 10 for Phones and Small Tablets is another nail in the coffin. If Microsoft abandons their own mobile platform on their very first Win10 devices, their OEMs will follow suit. The mobile version of Windows 10 would have been a HUGE waste of time. They want the OS succeed even if it is the wrong OS. They also want to be seen as trying not to abandon their users again as they did with WP8.
You could probably sit here and spit ball a hundred other tinier reasons. But I think those are a good enough starting point. The devices were half baked as ARM handsets long ago, the Lumia brand is associated with ARM and their mobile offerings and they need to justify the existence of the OS and their accessories.
I can almost guarantee that there will be an x86, full Windows 10 phone in the future. And, it probably will come from Microsoft first. But I think we are 1-2 years off of that, and that device will bear the Surface branding.
1-2 years isn't really that far off. But Nadella seems to be quick to axe things that don't deliver and I don't see their mobile OS getting enough steam to avoid being chopped. I also think we're close to a viable mobile Intel chipset if they don't already have one. Right now however, they need to give some breathing room to their OEMs and customers. If I were a betting man, next year would see both a Lumia and Surface phone (barring unexpected mass adoption of their new Lumia phones). By releasing an x86 handset they would be signalling that the ARM based lineup was dying, but by releasing a new Lumia as well they would be promising to keep it on life support long enough for customers to upgrade to x86 phones. With UWP apps, it should remove any concerns of losing apps or data.
I also think they need at least a year to finish getting into Windows 10 the features from their phone OS that are still missing. Quiet hours, car mode, a phone app, support for cellular chips, etc... Clearly, those things (among others) need to be in the OS before it can be on a phone.
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