Is Windows Phone Dead for Microsoft? After Build, It Really Seems So

It's no longer a surprise that Microsoft is barely mentioning Windows phones during its press events, but during the first day of Build, the software giant actually talked more about Android and iPhones than its very own mobile platform.

Microsoft offered demos of several breaking technologies, and unsurprisingly, smartphones were involved every time. The presentations, however, were mostly made on iPhones and on some occasions, on Android devices, while Windows phones were absolutely nowhere to be seen.

Furthermore, Microsoft has also announced that a mobile Azure app would launch on Android and iOS, again with no confirmation of a Windows phone version. Later, the company said that a UWP version is also planned, though the focus is clearly on Android and iOS.

Another sign that Microsoft is not very keen on investing in phones is a change in its strategy. CEO Satya Nadella talked during his keynote about a transition from the mobile-first, cloud-first approach to what he calls "intelligent cloud and intelligent edge" push.

Focus on Android and iOS

At first glance, mobiles seem to be less of a priority for the company right now, even though they will be part of the push, though the focus is likely to be put mostly on Android and iOS.

Hardcore Windows phone fans still expect Microsoft to talk phones at Build on day 2 when the Windows team will be taking the stage to discuss Redstone 3 and other improvements, but just don't get your hopes too high on this.

Windows 10 Mobile seems to be doomed anyway, and the operating system is already in maintenance mode, with the Redstone 3 update currently codenamed feature2 internally and likely to bring only performance improvements and small fixes.

People close to the matter said Microsoft's mobile strategy is more focused on Windows 10 on ARM, the new emulation system that makes it possible to run the full version of Windows on ARM chips. The first devices (not phones though) powered by a Snapdragon processor and running full Windows 10 are expected later this year.

Source: Is Windows Phone Dead for Microsoft? After Build, It Really Seems So