The inevitable has happened: Microsoft has effectively declared that Windows 10 Mobile is dead in the water.
Microsoft has always seen huge success with its Windows desktop platform, but the company has consistently failed to make its mark on mobile. After the the uber-flop of Windows Phone, it was hoped that Windows 10 Mobile would bring about a change in fortune. Sadly, that never happened.
Now the death knell of Windows 10 Mobile is being rung by none other than Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore, who heads up the Windows experience. In a series of tweets, Belfiore detailed how the operating system would enter servicing mode – that means bug fixes and security updates, but no new features.
He wrote: “Of course we’ll continue to support the platform. Bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/hw aren’t the focus.”
He explained that one of the biggest issues was a lack of available apps for the platform: “We have tried VERY HARD to incent app devs. Paid money, wrote apps for them, but volume of users is too low for most companies to invest.”
Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/hw aren't the focus. 😟 https://t.co/0CH9TZdIFu
— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) October 8, 2017
We have tried VERY HARD to incent app devs. Paid money.. wrote apps 4 them.. but volume of users is too low for most companies to invest. ☹️ https://t.co/ePsySxR3LB
— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) October 8, 2017
Microsoft culled thousands of jobs in a trimming-down of its phone business last year, and the company has consistently shied away from talking about mobile in recent times.
The big problem was that Microsoft struggled to woo developers, who remained largely unconvinced by the tiny Windows 10 Mobile user-base. The platform had a tiny fraction of the volumes of users running Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, which made it exceptionally difficult to generate any meaningful revenue from Windows.
Related: Samsung Galaxy S9
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
