The slow and painful death of Windows Phone took another turn on Monday when it emerged Lumia devices had temporarily returned to sale.
The company ditched the homegrown handsets last summer, effectively consigning the mobile operating system to history.
However, a range of Lumia phones reportedly returned from the dead earlier this month.
For a short period, the official store began flogging the Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 650 and Lumia 550 handsets.
Windows Latest (via The Verge) discovered the handsets on Microsoft’s site, but they’ve now been removed again following today’s reports.
Whether anyone actually bought one of the doomed smartphones remains to be seen, but they’re now listed as “unavailable.”
Related: MWC 2018
Back in October 2017 Microsoft finally admitted that development of new Windows Phone features and handsets would no longer be a focus.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said the firm would continue to support the platform with bug fixes and security updates.
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
The company has been increasingly focused on developing apps for iOS and Android devices, including a host of features that makes it easier for folks to switch between their Windows PCs and smartphones.
Rumours of a Surface Phone have persisted, but right now that seems more of a distant proposition than ever.
Are you a Windows Phone remainer? Would you have preferred Microsoft to stick with smartphones for the long haul? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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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.