Hey everyone, it’s your favorite Windows guy… No, not Ben,m but Ron. Ok so you’ve probably never even thought about the face behind this all but abandoned blog about Windows, but hey, I’m still here and I’m still trying very hard to carry a Windows Mobile device today. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to carry a ‘new’ Windows Phone since there are only two active models on the planet right now, but today I’m coming back to talk about something completely different.
Microsoft has announced their plan to begin carrying a special edition of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ in their retail stores and online. This is quite the departure from even a few months ago, when Microsoft was touting the power of the HP X3 and its expanded Continuum mode, but is it necessarily a bad move for Microsoft and their mobile aspirations?
What Microsoft is up against is an impossible situation. Manufacturers and programmers have been fleeing from the fledgling OS for quite some time now, with only a few select manufacturers helping to keep the ecosystem alive. As a matter of fact, currently there are 2 major operators making Windows Phones, HP and Alcatel, that’s it.Sure, Microsoft is still tossing out their 950 and 950XL lines, but those aged devices from late 2015 just aren’t going to last much longer.
Gone are Microsoft’s long time friends like HTC, LG and Samsung. Gone is that mysterious plan to allow Android users to install Windows Phone on their mobile devices. What happened and why did Microsoft lose the mobile battle. To be honest, they are building back what they lost very quickly, but not in the way any Windows Mobile/Windows Phone user ever wanted them to. From the ashes of what was, has come a new way of generating income and bringing Windows to the masses – services.
With a partnership like the one with Samsung, Microsoft is guaranteeing, at least a minor footprint in a mobile world that had them completely blocked out only months ago. Sure, Samsung and Microsoft have teamed up in the past offering some of their own Apps in some markets, but this is a ground breaking move, and one that should be welcomed with open arms. Windows 10 isn’t ready for prime time on mobile devices quite yet and the developer support hasn’t come anywhere near what the folks in Redmond had hoped for, but this latest move gives them hope. Hope for a future in mobile and a bridge, or a lifeline, to stay relevant in the mobile landscape.
