Microsoft sounds the death knell for Windows Phone

[HEXUS]

Joe Belfiore concedes defeat, puts Windows Mobile on life support and switches to Android.

Read more.

[Jonj1611]

I had a Lumia 920 and really enjoyed the phone, liked the operating system, had no problems with it, however what I did find was a lack of apps, and not small ones, some real mainstream apps like banking etc.

In the end had to change to a different platform

[Tabbykatze]

And then...there were two (Android/iOS).

It's a real shame because the WMOS was actually really good but the problem I feel was basically down to "No one moves to Windows Phone because there is not App contiguity with other OSes and no one writes Apps for Windows Phone because no one have Windows Phones".

If they just set up the Java to C#, Android to WMOS, App converter like they said they would they problem would have a market share that wouldn't be sniffed at.

[Wolfclaw]

Microsoft should do the decent thing and unlock all their phones and allow user to install a bare bones Android and then allow Google to keep them updated. But they won't, they have our cash and just like the other mobile manufacturers they just abandon us !

[Zhaoman]

They have killed Windows Phone but I feel like the next phone Microsoft releases will run full fat Windows 10 (or whatever the equivalent is at the time). The question is when...

[spolsh]

Still using a Lumia 9-something, no problems with it, but I just use it as a phone really.

[scaryjim]

... It's a real shame because the WMOS was actually really good but the problem I feel was basically down to "No one moves to Windows Phone because there is not App contiguity with other OSes and no one writes Apps for Windows Phone because no one have Windows Phones". ...

Pretty much this exactly. Also the thing that did for BB 10, which in my opinion was better than Win 10 Mobile, which in turn was at least as good a mobile OS as Android.

... If they just set up the Java to C#, Android to WMOS, App converter like they said they would they problem would have a market share that wouldn't be sniffed at.

You mean like Blackberry enabled an Android Player app on BB 10 hoping it would persuade everyone to port their Android apps to BB 10 and they'd retain their market share?

The Android player worked really well on BB 10, but without access to Play Store you went from having one app store with a small number of pretty well-written apps, to using several app stores, most of which were filled with thousands of really very poor apps. And most of the main apps you wanted weren't in them. Even once they'd partnered with Amazon to use their app store it didn't really get much better.

Ultimately if you don't have access to the main app store for the platform you're not going to get the good apps. And having lots of poor apps isn't going to bring anyone to your party...

[Percy1983]

Loved my 4 years of windows phones (520/735) and would have kept going but I got to a point of needing an app for my business and it didn't work.

With that I didn't notice missing apps but did notice when I went back to android I needed many apps just to cover the basic windows phone functionality which was a pain as there where many rubbish apps to cover each function which just worked on my windows phone.

Its a real shame as at the budget end of phones windows phones are amazing.

[Peter Parker]

With no mobile platform of their own, Microsoft should try to kill the proprietary mobile app stores of their competitors by supporting HTML/JS on mobile web and encouraging mobile web applications in Edge.

edit - re-reading, that sounds a bit dumb. Obviously they already support HTML/JS in their browser, but I meant keeping Edge compatible and supporting new standards

[Wozza63]

As a base operating I preferred and still prefer Windows Phone 8 over Android or iOS. But apps are the big issue. No users without the apps, no apps without the users.

[Wrinkly]

TFFT, but they keep pushing Windows desktop further into becoming a mobile OS.

[lumireleon]

...if mobile is the future does windows have a future?

[skotsbox]

I'm really not even understanding this person's tweets. Why would Microsoft spend billions buying out noKia only to release one phone.
They would've been better just staying with their Lumina.
When the new guy took over at head of Microsoft he's pretty much running the company.
With the forcing of Windows 10 on the masses. With Windows as a service. Killing off the windows band and now apparently the phone.
I like my Windows phone I've never had a problem with apps. I guess it's because I don't rely on my phone as my only piece of tech. But I much prefer the operating system to android or iOS. And I will keep my phone until it is no longer supported. Then I will probably go back to a flip phone. Because I really dislike Google and android. Their deceptive business practices are just not for me. I think people forget at its core Google is an advertising company. And Apple lost me when they stop holding their own logic boards. Now there's really nothing that sets them apart.
It's really a shame that new people coming to the company and completely change what it was.

[LSG501]

I'm really not even understanding this person's tweets. Why would Microsoft spend billions buying out noKia only to release one phone.
They would've been better just staying with their Lumina.
When the new guy took over at head of Microsoft he's pretty much running the company.
With the forcing of Windows 10 on the masses. With Windows as a service. Killing off the windows band and now apparently the phone.
I like my Windows phone I've never had a problem with apps. I guess it's because I don't rely on my phone as my only piece of tech. But I much prefer the operating system to android or iOS. And I will keep my phone until it is no longer supported. Then I will probably go back to a flip phone. Because I really dislike Google and android. Their deceptive business practices are just not for me. I think people forget at its core Google is an advertising company. And Apple lost me when they stop holding their own logic boards. Now there's really nothing that sets them apart.
It's really a shame that new people coming to the company and completely change what it was.

The bloke in charge of Mircosoft was against the Nokia deal from what I've read.... so to be honest there's no surprise that it's failed when they had someone in charge that basically didn't want it in the first place....

[Lepnik]

So long, Windows Phone! Nice to have Lumia 930, it was really good phone.

[vicar]

They are still supporting updates, as i have no need for millions of apps, that will do me fine until my phone disintegrates.

Any basic phone will do me fine at the end of the day. so not too worried by the announcement.