Windows 10 Mobile is not expected to be available until later this year so it is behind in its overall development compared to the desktop version of Windows 10 which also saw build 10166 delivered this week to testers.
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In addition to a restructuring charge of about $750 million to $850 million, Microsoft said in a statement. Also, the old Store app is no longer in the build. There is some interest in Windows Phones in large enterprises and in the developing world, where Nokia once had a very strong position.
Another key weapon in Microsoft’s arsenal is Windows 10, and this is the main reason why we haven’t seen the last of Windows Phone. Even if Microsoft makes good on its promise of “job transition help”, there will doubtless be thousands of people now unemployed.
Microsoft is struggling to break into the mobile market, which is dominated by Apple Inc and Google Inc’s Android. The app allows users to buy wireless Internet access via the Windows Store from the wireless networking menu from the system’s taskbar. The company is not only taking a huge write-off, but its mobile strategy also now looks shaken, if not hollow.
Ross MacMillan at RBC Capital Markets said the latest move is “part of a broader change within the company to align the Windows and Devices group”.
These measures will streamline Microsoft into a leaner, more competitive company.
With Windows 10, Microsoft is looking for a fresh start from the tepid response Windows 8 earned.
But the question remains, where does Microsoft’s phone business go from here? I believe this is what Mr. Nadella meant when he said “Our reinvention will be centered on creating mobility of experiences across the entire device family including phones.”
To be clear, Microsoft isn’t going to stop making smartphones – at least not anytime soon.
Hot off the press Microsoft has released its latest Windows 10 SDK Preview and the associated Windows 10 Mobile emulators to be used in conjunction with the Windows 10 Insider Preview. In his testimony, Gates said “No company owns the factory for ideas”, and further pointed out that “Outside of this room… you will hear how products will replace Windows, how Java will supersede Windows, how the browser will turn into an operating system”.
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Though often forgotten next to Microsoft’s fast-growing cloud sales and Windows revenues, a renewed focus on Bing is already beginning to pay dividends. That may be crucial to convincing shoppers to choose a Windows Phone over an iPhone or one of the many phones running Google’s Android. Who has chosen the slow ring for less updates, build 10162 had received last week.
