Windows Mobile is arguably the most discussed topic in the mobile world. Microsoft’s reluctance to follow the overwhelming consensus by the mainstream to abandon the platform, have lead to some severe headaches for some. Windows Mobile was first introduced as a competitor to the fledgling Palm OS, then as a competitor against the wildly popular Blackberry, and then when the iPhone dominated the market, Microsoft tried to reinvigorate and refocus the platform to cater to the vast consumer market.
The Windows Mobile strategy hasn’t seen success in any of the incarnations that came before, and even now it’s hovering at a mere 1.6% in the US. Consumers and Corporates have largely rejected the platform for a myriad of reasons. The main issue was that Windows Phone tried to make inroads into a market that was—at the time—dominated by Apple. Android shortly after jumped in and gave OEM’s a usable experience for their devices, offering them an open platform where they could give consumers a unique experience, but still be tied to the massive Google ecosystem.
Microsoft, on the other hand, offered consumers and OEM’s alike a closed platform, that was unique but ultimately tone deaf to what made Android so popular. Microsoft wanted to emulate the success of the Apple platform, and strong arm OEM’s into accepting this. Microsoft, still drunk on their dominance on PC quickly realized that playing second fiddle to a bigger force in the market would cause problems, and then trying to act like you control the market in general would only have OEM’s laugh at you in meetings. Windows Phone died the moment Microsoft demanded OEM’s agree to their terms, instead of working with them.
Fast forward to today, Microsoft is the only manufacturer of Windows Phones for the most part, and being the only one who is keeping the platform alive gives them the freedom to force users into the closed ecosystem that is Windows Mobile. However, Microsoft, for the most part, has given up on the platform, focussing more on improving the software and making a case for developers, so they can embrace the universal app platform, in the hopes of filling up the store before another attempt at gaining popularity in the market as a whole. Microsoft also seems to be focusing on giving business customers a secure platform—arguably something they should have done 9 years ago before gutting the pro-business platform that was Windows Mobile 6—and OEM’s experimenting with devices like the HP Elite X3.
But even with this new found focus on improving the platform in general, the main issue with it remains that it is still a platform that will limit its user in a myriad of ways. The application situation—which is boring in itself—remains the main reason that hampers the growth of the platform. But just how can Microsoft reinvigorate the platform and give users—be it professional or casual—something they can enjoy and will keep them ultimately productive.
Embrace Android in Windows 10
Microsoft has made massive progress towards bringing Windows and their ecosystem to other platforms. Microsoft has some of the most popular apps on Android and iOS, with services like Office 365 and Xbox making up the biggest slice of that. It has become one of the most dividing facts that beta software will always land on iOS first, before their own platforms. Microsoft is also working with Cyanogen bringing their services to the core of the platform, while at the same time relegating Windows Mobile to the back seat.
Windows 10 have embraced Bash from Linux, building the feature right into the system giving developers and administrators the freedom to use their favourite features from Linux, without having to sacrifice using a feature complete operating system. Microsoft also made life easy for developers to the platform by offering them ‘bridges’ that will make porting applications to the Windows 10 ecosystem easier. But even with all these enhancements, the platform still lack many popular and useful applications.
In my opinion, Microsoft should integrate the Android subsystem by offering users of the platform to install and use applications that are available on Android. This solution should be integrated on a ground level making it easy to use and stable. I would suggest running it in tandem with the Windows 10 system, only coming to the fore when an Android application is run. This, however, may introduce some licensing and piracy issues when it comes to applications.
In the case of piracy, Microsoft should open the Windows platform to 3rd parties like Apple and Google to offer their services to customers. Windows have reached its dominance mainly because of the fact that it has always offered customers the freedom to choose, without sacrificing features that they love. Forcing customers into the Microsoft ecosystem will only cause the majority of them to reject the idea of using Microsoft services, giving them a disjointed experience. Offering Google and Apple inroads into the platform—be it Desktop or Mobile—will allow them to integrate well into the system giving consumers a decent experience without fracturing the user base. Microsoft can offer these companies ways to offer their products and services—even if they’re already being offered by Microsoft—on the platform, increasing the viability of the platform in general to consumers. If consumers see they have a larger choice on the Windows Platform, they might opt for that over the likes of Android.
The argument that this open approach might cannibalize the Windows market is moot, arguing that companies like Google and Apple would offer customers a ‘better’ experience than what would be available on the Windows platform, should only look towards how Android have taken the world by storm. In the early days, Google’s own platform didn’t offer much over the rival Apple platform, and many still agree iOS is a better system than that of Google, and even then, most of the applications offered by Google still remain equal to if not better on iOS than what is available on Android. Windows will benefit greatly from allowing companies like Google the ability offer their services at equal footing on Windows. Beyond that, Windows will also benefit by integrating Android on the Windows Platform, giving Google the opportunity to ‘sell’ applications to customers on Windows.
The main idea here is that will draw customers and businesses to the platform, giving them the freedom to decide whether or not Google Play or the Windows 10 Store offers them the application experience they prefer. Beyond that, Microsoft, as the platform continues to grow, can offer developers paths to converting their Android counterparts to the universal app platform when they decide to after their customers demand that they would be better served by native applications. This will also give Microsoft the opportunity to ‘sell’ the Google GMS package at the licensed rate offered by Google, and Google making money on offering this service on Windows, growing their customer base in tandem beyond that of mere Android. Microsoft will still be able to offer Win32 applications, and native applications in the Windows 10 Store, giving consumers on their platform the choice they deserve.
Mobile devices
Microsoft has had some rather expensive failures when it comes to mobile hardware in the past 9 years, the most famous of which is the Nokia acquisition and its prior partnership. The venture for the most part only saw Microsoft gaining market in the single digits world wide, offering consumers a vast array of hardware choices that only added up to a massive red zero. Microsoft has since then abandoned the Lumia brand—as they should—and have assured customers and fans of the platform that they’re working on interesting devices going forward. HP have announced their new flagship device that is aimed at the business market, and many smaller OEM’s continue to pump out cheap devices that still haven’t made the dent Microsoft was hoping for.
Beyond offering consumers the applications and services they deserve as discussed above, Microsoft should focus on hardware much like companies such as Xiaomi have done, offering consumers and corporations premium devices at extremely competitive prices. Microsoft, in this case, doesn’t have a relationship with OEM’s that is meaningful in any profitable way beyond that of desktop, so it’s in Microsoft’s best interest to focus all their efforts on building their own ‘killer mobile device’. If the first step was met, Microsoft, by offering their clients a device that could ‘do it all’ would give them an instant success story. The Lumia 650 is the perfect device type to lead this charge at the price point they offered it at. A device line-up that focussed on the $199+ market would not only keep their margins healthy but keep them at the ‘race to the bottom’ portion of the market where performance is usually sacrificed to hit that critical price point.
Devices in this slice of the market can give Microsoft the premium edge while offering them exceptional value on both the hardware and software fronts. HP have already laid the groundwork for the rumoured Surface Phone coming in early 2017. The main issue that the device will face is the fact that the application and services drought on Mobile remains a factor for customers when purchasing these devices. Even the HP Elite X3 will be hampered by this, and it remains to be seen if business—that is mainly driven by the Bring-your-own-device mechanism—will embrace either of these devices. Hence the need for the integration and assimilation of Android into the Windows ecosystem.
Android Assimilation
Microsoft and Google stand to gain from the assimilation of Android into the Windows ecosystem. Google will gain traction even more by offering their services on rival platforms, and Windows will benefit by the sheer number of applications that is available on platforms like Android. It’s a situation that will make the likes of Satya Nadella drool, and fans of the platform starting to recommend it over their constant complaining on Reddit forums. The media might also start to focus on what makes the platform unique, other than harping on about how their favourite obscure application isn’t available on the device, even though it’s exceptional value.
Google and Microsoft have made significant strides toward working together closely, and this seems to be the next logical step. The only thing required is the will to make something like this achievable, and giving both parties the chance to succeed on the fast growing Windows platform, and giving their customers—be it Google or Microsoft clients—unmatched choice and functionality. Windows 10 Mobile stand to gain the most from such ventures, and with the perfect hardware encasing the vast world of Microsoft’s software prowess, only gives Microsoft a chance to really compete, instead of having Microsoft and their customer base relegated to petitions for popular apps.
Microsoft has proven time and again that they can do the ‘impossible’, with the likes of Backwards compatibility, and making the Surface brand popular amongst consumers. Android should be their main focus going forward, and that does not mean abandoning their own mobile platform.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.