Microsoft did it for the first (or 2nd time if you considers WM6.5) time with Windows Phone 7, second time with Windows Phone 8 and none can guarantee it will not do it 3rd time. We are talking about Mobile platform resets that have only harmed Microsoft’s Mobile ambitions and made its market-share further nosedive.
While our sources told us that Microsoft is continuing with Windows 10 Mobile for now with Redstone 3 planned as the next major update, you can never deny possibility of a 3rd reset. After all Microsoft with its killing of Lumia line and lack of investment has already made Windows 10 Mobile nearly non-existent or limited to hard-core fans.
Windows 10 on ARM on other hand has very strong appeal, given the possibility of full Windows 10 on a Mobile device with capability of running Win32 apps.
But if we leave the hard-core fans out, do normal Phone buyers really care about Win32 apps and full Windows 10??
Microsoft is focusing on bringing Win32 app via Windows Store in form of “Centennial Apps”. But are Win32 apps really so much required or must-have for normal smartphone buyers?? Answer is big no. Apart from more tech-savvy Windows users and power-users nobody is dying to have Win32 apps running on their smartphones.
So, if Microsoft attempts a 3rd Mobile reset, will it succeed??
If Microsoft attempts a 3rd Mobile rest, immediate fall-outs will be further drop in buyer’s trust, major developers saying goodbye to a platform, that asks for repeated major investment without offering much in return. Even if someone argues about Microsoft focusing on Enterprise customers, then what’s the point of such reset when your target market is just corporate. Lots of investment for kind of market-share, that doesn’t really matter.
If the 3rd Mobile reset is targeted at both Enterprise and Consumers, it will make a return to significance much more difficult than ever-before for Microsoft. App Gap will be worse with developers deserting whatever Microsoft comes up, sickened with the idea of “start once more”. On top of that Satya Nadella is not going to offer much incentives to developers to stick to the platform like his predecessor did. Answer lies in the analysis of how Microsoft with all its claim of UWP apps being the game-changer has made major developers kill or abandon or postpone Windows 10 Mobile app development.
Add to it the general apathy of Microsoft teams towards Mobile platform with prioritizing Android and iOS development and you have the recipe of disaster ready. And we have seen it happening with Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile already.
Coming to pros of 3rd Mobile reset, if it has to happen, we can expect new hardware from Microsoft that may enthuse fans. But given that Microsoft has alienated majority of Lumia fans and will alienate more with this reset, the mythical Surface Phone will have smallest committed buyer-base. Coupled with “Enterprise focus” and the worsened “app gap”, what silver bullet Microsoft will come with to make it successful??
Microsoft selling Android Phones
Microsoft has started selling Android Phones like Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus in US and China for the sake of having its apps pre-installed on them. Now you can imagine the strategical fallacy of current Microsoft’s Executive team.
Rather reset the damn Mobile strategy:
Perhaps, it would be wiser for Microsoft to rather attempt at a reset of its “non-existent Mobile strategy”. Rather focus more on making Windows 10 Mobile more user-friendly and more powerful building upon what exists now. Instill confidence in buyers, developers, partners that you are really serious. Bring innovative first-party hardware out and may be focus on one or two devices only. Trust us there is no other way out.
Windows 10 devices number languishing at 400 million:
All ambitious claims of having 1 Billion Windows 10 devices by 2016 have been proved to be mirage and we are in 2017 already. Microsoft will not be able to 1 Billion Windows 10 devices number anytime soon without making a mark in Phone / Mobile devices category. Currently Windows 10 devices number languishes at 400 million.
