back to article Yes! Windows Phone lives: Microsoft to pump the device Kool-Aid

Microsoft will this week try to convince thousands of partners to invest in Windows Phone despite taking the axe to its hardware manufacturing operation. “Windows Phone is and will continue to be an important component of our hardware portfolio,” Phil Sorgen, chief of Microsoft’s worldwide partner group told The Channel, …

  1. AMBxx Silver badge
    WTF?

    >>> mobility of experience

    The what???

    Why are Microsoft's problems so obvious to everyone other than Microsoft?

    1. Mage Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: >>> mobility of experience

      "Microsoft's problems so obvious to everyone other than Microsoft"

      Fortunate. Or else by now MS would be bigger than IBM, Apple and Google combined.

      Do you really want ANY mega corp to be totally competent?

  2. Bob Vistakin
    Facepalm

    Doublespeak art its finest.

    Hey OEM's, don't look behind the curtain at how we've just abandoned mobile and sacked everyone here who used to work on it, instead pump millions into it yourself - it's a safe bet, you can trust us - when have we ever let you down before?

  3. 45RPM Silver badge

    I was very sad to see Microsoft abandon Windows phone, and for several reasons. Firstly because the hardware looks and feels really nice. Even the cheap Windows phones contrive to feel a lot more expensive than they actually are. I think this is because they are honest about their use of materials - so the textured plastic is celebrated as textured plastic (and feels high quality because of it) rather than having to pretend it’s something that it isn’t (like metal or, ugh, leather). With Microsoft leaving this particular hardware business, and assuming that Windows 10 for phone thrives, I can see a future full of cheap and tacky feeling phones - rather as exists in the Android world today (with the notable exception of HTC).

    Secondly, because if Windows for phone withers on the vine then choice in platform will be greatly reduced. In the phone OS market of today you can choose between relatively high platform security (lack of malware, not having your data scrobbled for advertising purposes), excellent value for money (low cost) or a huge software library. Pick the two that mean the most to you - because you can’t have all three in one device. Android has cost and app selection sewn up, iOS has security and app selection - and Windows has security and cost. If the platform takes off, you can be sure that Windows will pull off the holy grail of having all three.

    Finally, and selfishly, I’m working on a app for Windows phone. I’d hate to see the platform die before I finish it!

    1. Zippy's Sausage Factory
      WTF?

      May I remind you

      That antivirus software for Windows is a multi-billion dollar business? And that the same codebase powers Windows Phone? So the added advantage of Windows Phone, I suppose, is that all your favourite viruses already run on it...

      1. 45RPM Silver badge

        Re: May I remind you

        …The antivirus business for Windows is a multi-billion dollar scam, and has been for a long time now. At the very least, WSE and it’s successors are very nearly at (if not actually at) the top of the anti-virus / anti-malware pile making third party options expensive and pointless. Add to this the fact that Windows phone won’t (as far as I’m aware) run desktop Windows apps (at least, not without jailbreaking) so users will need to get software from a properly curated store and I think that most people will be reasonably safe on Windows phone.

      2. arnieL
        FAIL

        Re: May I remind you

        @Zippy, I think you should stick to commenting on processed meat production, or whatever it is that you know about, because as far as software goes you clearly have no clue!

    2. Mike Dimmick

      Not abandoned

      The Windows Phone development team got merged into the Windows development team two years ago - in fact it was a reverse takeover, with Terry Myerson and Joe Belfiore taking the reins of the Windows group. Now both products are built from the same source tree. Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 were both forks of the PC codebase, which allowed WP to go its own merry way for that version, but made it incredibly hard to then merge back together to pick up the changes in Windows. Now, new features have to be designed to work on both small and large form factors, and handle touch, keyboard, mouse and controller inputs (Xbox One is now also built from the same tree).

      There will still be platform-specific APIs, but it will be possible to test for and use them at runtime - search for API Contracts.

      What was announced last week was that the first-party *hardware* team would be cut back, and only release a few new devices per year - reportedly a small and a large screen device in low-, mid- and high-end specs. (Microsoft only mentioned the three targeted tiers, they didn't actually mention two devices per tier.) They certainly did not say that they were pulling out of hardware entirely, just focusing on a few devices rather than the dozens (with dozens of minor variants that share the same model number!) that Nokia were producing.

      1. Mike Taylor

        Re: Not abandoned

        And frankly: thank goodness for that. I'm dangerously close to being a WP fanboi (as much as I am a *nix fanboi at least) - there are far too many models. Three tiers is good. Big/small. I am hanging on for a dual SIM version of my 1520

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I knew someone out there

      Was dumb enough to fall for the snakeoil android malware myth. Congratulations.

      OK, so I will spell it out. Both iOS and Android are very secure out of the box, if you only shop on the official stores, you are really safe (like a million times safer than s windows PC or a Mac)

      If you turn off android security controls, disregard the warning and go shopping elsewhere, you might run into problems, The same problems any jailbroken iPhone owner installing random stuff will encounter.

      Installing good android corporate security software like mobileiron will mitigate this risk by locking down the phones.

      In short, android is no different to iOS, in some ways its superior, if you believe otherwise, I have some magic beans for sale.

      1. 45RPM Silver badge

        Re: I knew someone out there

        You could be right. I've been dumb before, and doubtless will be again. But, in this case, I just needed to Google "malware on Google play store". I found lots of news stories and research papers. True enough, Google has been cleaning up - but the play store doesn't appear to be the safe place that it should be. And yes, malware occasionally sneaks into the iOS and Windows stores - but it's removed faster because Apple and Microsoft seem to take curation more seriously.

        I'd offer you a sip of some tasty Android koolaid but I think you've drunk the bar dry!

  4. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Pint

    "We will continue in a very focused way to pursue success in the phone market"

    Yep. Focus on not putting any money in it any more, and reaping as much rewards as possible off the money other people put in it.

    Hey, don't knock the plan. If I were an Evil Genius (C) I'd try it too.

    Edit :

    OMG OMG OMG !!! I just realized I didn't need to relog into Channel in order to post from El Reg !

    Finally !

    Job well done mates. Have one on me.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Classic Microsoft

    So as not to affect sales, never ever tell the truth until the last possible moment.

    Windows phones is alive and we'll right up until its officially canned

  6. jnemesh

    Sure....

    Because nothing says "trust our platform" like taking a 7.6 BILLION DOLLAR write off on it, right?

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      Re: Sure....

      "...a 7.6 BILLION DOLLAR write off..."

      That's only about 19 milliGreeks.

      1. Paul Crawford Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: milliGreeks

        Thank you sir, another stonking El Reg unit of fiscal impropriety!

        Have a pint on me (bought with borrowed money, of course)

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