Microsoft CEO admits repeatedly abandoning consumers was a mistake

the penny drops at MS?  MS has long suffered with a lack of systemic thinking - an inability to see beyond a US centric closed system.  Mobiles are now the gateway product to tech not enterprise systems.  How many toy manufactures, production companies (film/tv), IoT, lifestyle (airport/bank/taxi/fast food etc) have an app/game.  Across Europe/Aus/NZ many use a mobile and ISP provided digital hub/smart tv to access what they need.  Not a clunky old device from work - because outside of the tech industry most people don't get shiny new laptops every 12-18months.  Even within W10 product delivery it has been a mismatch of poor services - Cortana language/accent limitations, region dependencies, store credit card (cc) limitations (only cc of the region set can be used).  MS just doesn't get internationalisation, or user needs outside of the US tech bubble.  A lack of mobile has meant that it has no "non-tech" information feeding in to change help its narrative.  In effect it has contributed to its own entropy.  So when people use a device that fits their need it will be apple or android and that will affect their options/choices in the enterprise.  For example, more will start use google docs and storage (due to integration with phone etc.) instead of office/onedrive.  It doesn't matter which is the best (it never has, e.g. VHS v Betamax, MP3 v losless audio, Beats Headphones v any named audio house) just which is the most popular.

Nadella should really just spare us all the yap.. Don't mean nothing if you are not backing it up. If you feel that you've constantly let consumers down (which actually you have) then do something to bridge that gap. All he should do really is make a cup of coffee, sit up, stick to the vision of windows phone and figure it out.. How else do you show your loyalty to the consumers and your own brand? A new concept is really not going to do much because just like a new car/ blanket/ cone of ice cream/ new love.. etc.. doesn't replace the very first (the excitement, anticipation, thrill, vibe, energy can never be thesame), a new project won't replace windows phone in the hearts consumers, no matter whether it fails or succeeds.. It's about time Nadella and Microsoft showed some loyalty to us and themselves as well.. Not only will they earn respect but it'll also be a rallying point.. Game of Thrones should have taught the lesson by now, even a ******* can become king, and loyalty is key to that. Roll your sleeves up and put in some work Nadella/Microsoft.. Because if you can't make windows phone work..Then I wonder.. what cat was riding a fire breathing unicorn?

Nadella should quite frankly just spare us the "talk"... If he really wants to show/repair this divide he has created by constantly abandoning consumers then its time to sit up, stick with the concept of windows phone/mobile, make a cup of coffee and figure it out.. No other way to do it.. A new product will not replace the loyalty and trust lost by throwing out windows phone (just like buying a new cone of ice cream doesn't replace the one that fell.. The excitement, expectation, thrill, is just not the same).. By sticking with the current project he not only earns respect from consumers, he also makes his loyalty a rallying and starting point for everyone. I thought Game Of Thrones for all its fiction should have taught the lesson better.. Even a ******* can become king..with loyalty and hard work.. We have been loyal..its about time Microsoft started being loyal to itself, its vision and to us as well.. Else what ninja cat rode which fire breathing unicorn?

I have not commented on an article here in such a long time! If you go back and look though, I was a HUGE MS/ Windows Mobile supporter. I had me and a lot of my extended family on WIndows devices. Boy do I look like a fool now!
I switched to an iPhone 7 last spring. It wasn't the apps or the quality of the devices (though my wifes phone did reboot randomly and my mother could never get a good signal). My problem was the band. I bought the band 2 for me and my wife. Yes the plastic/rubber on the strap broke after a couple of weeks but the device and it's capabilities were phenominal. -And they dumped it.

That was my last straw. I was going to trade them in for the next model which hopefully had the strap thing figured out but they gave up all together and left me with about $600 worth of devices I couldn't get fixed anymore and had no hopes of upgrading.

Now my wife and I are using iPhones and I recently bought her an Apple watch, which she loves. It hurts a little bit to be the tech guy in the family and have been so wrong about what my family members should have been investing their money in. I really thought the new CEO of MS would right the ship but now I'm sitting here and realizing, unbleavably, that Ballmer was going in the right direction.

Software has moved away from MS. Being able to work on Android or iOS is so much more important than working on Windows right now. Developers will use a browser to get their warez on a Microsoft machine but rely on applications for iOS and Android. People are more comfortable using the browser on a desktop/laptop anyway.

The truth is that the way forward is cheap/free O/S with lots of stuff available will win the day. You could also sell fantastic devices and people will pay craploads of money for them. But no one wants to shell out money for stuff like Windows and Office - even in the business sector.

I still think XBOX, Surface devices are fantastic and a great way forward for MS - but they have to do more.

I think I've also figured out Steve Jobs now. He was convinced that the future would look like something out of a late 50's early 60's sci-fi comic and used those images to guide his desire to have these small handheld devices that ended up doing big things. People grabbed on to it because they saw the same images when they were young and though "wow, I guess this is the future now - I remember seeing stuff like this on Star Trek and now I can have it!".
What MS needs is to have a vision of a future and build towards it. Someone with a really detailed imagination and access to some serious engineers.

But truthfully, devices are where they will make their money. They need to make WIndows 10 free.

The high brass at MSFT has to be replaced. As developers we embrace new technologies, and most of us have spent much money and many hours learning it. With MSFT once spearheading this path it has let many of us to a cul-de-sac. Most of us have probably embraced the new ideas at the Build pep rallies only to find out 24 months later that it was nothing more than an infomercial using many of us as the foot soldiers for the revenue stream. (I know that is sarcastic, but there is a bit of truth therein) There was no commitment to follow through. Let's look at the last 5-7 years. Silverlight, WindowsRT, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Microsoft Band, Skype (Consumer End), Windows Phone, Nokia, Windows 10 Mobile, and now Groove and we could probably read the tea leaves to see what's next.
Look, I was a big fan, but it’s difficult to defend something that has no true intention of commitment. When you have Mr. Belfiore touting that they have done everything they could is completely delusional. Yes, they threw money at it, paid developers for a short while to get the snowball rolling, but the plan and product was frail and incomplete from the get go. Developing for the RT platform was a bit squirrely in my opinion then it changed and you had to spend more hours digging and learning more. UWP was the next step. Ok lets learn UWP. Well there are holes in that too. (Ever try to send an email with an attachment(s) in a Windows Store app? Works different depending on what device your on. Yes, finally got it to work, (3rd party dll), but how many hours did it cost you. I know some will reply negatively to my reply but I know there are many that have experienced similar situations. As a developer you finally say, "The hell with it, I'm not spending any more hours with this stuff when it may not even be around in a year or year in a half." What are they pushing now, Azure and O365. Why, because the revenue stream is the focus and not the innovation.
There is innovation but it is very far sighted and what will probably happen with this mentality is that you will get a competitor that has their priority and dedication set on innovation. And they will commit and execute a plan, and will be deemed the innovator. The fruit of that is a lucrative revenue stream. That is where MSFT is missing the mark.
On a more positive side, their only hope is if they do truly commit to UWP, Andromeda, and put out a killer mobile device that we can start writing apps for to populate the store. It’s going to have to be a innovative marvel. It can’t be a mobile HoloLens type of device, because no one is going to walk around with a set of glasses on their head to check email and browse the net. It’s going to have to be a device that someone picks up and says, “Wow, where do I buy one of these?”
Personally, I’m not waiting for this and have already started on the “Dark Side.” Perhaps if this came to pass it would entice some of us to revisit and come back.
Until then…. throw new System.InvalidOperationException("I’m out.");

All enterprise decision makers are also consumers. All CTO, CIO, IT Directors, etc. are consumers. All business end-users are consumers.

Abandoning the consumer space is insane.

 What's the world coming to,Trump's president and Microsoft thinks 3 steps backward is the way forward.Gave up on VR when I stopped buying desktops over 10 years ago,was fun,but only for 15 mins.Gaming laptops were just too good for the money,now phones are way too easy to do everything on.Can't go backwards,anyone got some sort of Ubuntu running on a 950xl?Sideways is better than backwards.

Just bought an Idol 4S - beautiful phone - might be sending it back. I wish this information had been available a couple of weeks ago.

In 2019 they will stop supporting win 10 mobile. Well by then Microsoft will either have a new mobile phone system ready or be irrelevant in the mobile business. It is that simple. Until then we can enjoy the many new Universal apps on our superior Lumia 950 (XL) phones. I mean for now they are great systems if you use OneDrive and windows 10 pc. Even Youtube apps are fine on Lumia 950 XL. The truth is that they drop a very good system that is starting to work very well. Now will I buy a new mobile system from Microsoft in 2019.... Well even Android phones cannot always upgrade to new Android systems... Tried that twice actually. So seen in that light I think Microsoft is doing damn well by supporting us until 2019. So I shall party ans rock hard on with my beloved Lumia 950 XL until then at least. Hehe 😁

"I did not get why the world needed the third ecosystem in phones, unless we changed the rules."

Because you never understood Windows Phone, you jackass. Windows Phone was the middle ground between the jungle of inconsistency and trouble that was - and still is - Android, and the pretentious, fake shiny, limited walled garden of Apple. You killed the original middle ground, you numbnut.

It appears that Microsoft has forgotten how to be successful, please your customers. I have been a windows mobile / phone user for a many years. I currently have a 950XL. I like the platform because it does what I need it to do. The dual SIM system is great for when I travel it allows me to separate which contact I call on which SIM. I connect back and forth between my personal SIM and my work / travel SIM without compromising my security. The lack of apps does not bother me because those same free apps are the feeding tubes for identity theft and loss of privacy to data mining. The windows phone works well for integration to server based sytems, whether they are corporate or personal enterprises. In todays climate more and more people (ie..consumers) are concerned about loss of privacy, ID theft, and compromise of their personal information whether it is banking or otherwise. Google's main business model is the consumer. It build devices to support it's main enterprise google analytics, that is their prime engine for profit. Apple is an amazing system for user interface . It is simple and easy to interact with but Apple as whole interacts with very few things outside its own verse. the corporate policy has always been if we don't own the code we won't let you play on our devices. Consumers and business want a third choice or at the very least they want to be able to decide. The Universal Windows App system would be a great method for providing that frredom of choice if security is your primary concern then choose less apps and greater security choices. If you want more socialization then the univeral apps would make that possible. There are plenty of third party companies that will build their own version of windows devices if they are getting support from MS but if you turn away from them now I can be pretty positive they won't be so willing to take a chance on any new developments later ( fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me). Maybe what MS really needs is a complete corporate leadership flush out. I also own Suface products, and I am very pleased with the devices however I won't buy anymore unless I see that MS is going to support the sytems and not leave me hanging in the cold. I once had a SONY Vaio PC, The company stopped supporting it. I upgraded the OS to Windows 10 and much of the funcuality starting dropping off because Sony chose not to up date drivers for the systems they deserted. I got fed up swithed the machine to a Linux OS and got everything working again, but I haven't had a Sony product in my house ever since and I won't. MS needs to be careful about leaving its users feeling burnt and lied to. Once they are gone they won't come back and they will bring the developers with them, My 2 cents.

Killing win 10 mobile is a real bad idea..... It will destroy the last Microsoft mobile fans left and leave a real bad reputation for Microsoft as a company. Do you even marketing bro?

Belfiore was/is incompetent...he is the harbinger of doom for anything he touched including WP...

Here's a bulletin for Satya Nadella...You have to have a range of products and services for your customers if you expect to keep them. Not every one of your products and services will be a cash cow. Some of them will barely break even, and some may lose money in any one quarter, but if you focus on the cloud and enterprise customers only, you will quickly become irrelevant.
I have been a Windows Phone customer since the release of the Lumia 920. I moved on to a Lumia 1520, and then an HP Elite X3 (my current device). This DESPITE all your attempts to kill Windows Phone because YOU don't think it has any appeal.
I've got news for you. I like Windows Phone. I don't WANT to be forced to buy an Android device or an iPhone because you forgot that Microsoft once said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" when Microsoft had NO browser and NO browser market share, but persevered to create a browser that became the most widely used browser in the world.
Where is that "I know we are coming from behind, but we will create Windows Phone products and software to compete." attitude?
If you continue on the course you've set, you will become another IBM, which also divested itself of its consumer products, and is now a shadow of its former self and headed for the trash heap of history.
Yes, I know Microsoft has Surface laptops and Xbox consoles. But those will NOT save Microsoft's image with consumers.
I'm putting you on notice...Windows 10 may be the last OS that I have on my personal computers. I've been auditioning various Linux distributions as possible replacements for Windows. As long as I have a competent browser, I can do the things I need to do in my life. I don't need an app from you or anyone else to handle my affairs.
There is still time to make a change. Sadly, I fear, you will NOT make the changes I seek, and we will part company in the not too distant future.
Prove me wrong.

 By eradicating phones, Nadella may silence that narrative before introducing something new. 

I understand the logic, but it is a false dilemma. 
Who is going to trust Microsoft with a new smartphone device when MS showed clearly that they can't be trusted and that for the Nth time they failed to support a platform of great significance to their future plans.

Unable to stand up and defend their design philosophy. Their partners. Their own word. And ultimately their customers. This halfhearted uncertainty, led to choices, that drove customers away, right at the moment they had started supporting Windows Phone. 

The culprit is not Nadella though. It's Joe Belfiore. Based on his feedback Nadella said what he said, and did what he did. They should get rid of Belfiore before he turns everything he touches to ash. 

Folks Microsoft is a company that gets most of it's income from selling software and services to Enterprrise/Business customers.and to people who sell or and use Desktop PC's. Laptop, Tablets and network Servers. Microsoft's hard ware business is a side business.  if a peice of hardware does not sell well a Microsoft ceo can stop production & sales of that hardware. the fact is Windows smart phones were not selling very well so Microsoft cut back on Windows smart phones.but Microsoft CEO Nadella and other Microsoft execs hinted Microsoft will make a smart phone that does not look like smart phone out there today.  There have been leaks of Microsoft dual screen MINI TABLETS. FOLKS PERHAP WE WILL SEE MICROSOFT DEBUT AND SELL A MINI TABLET CELL PHONES HYBRID DEViCE. No such device is in the market place. it could run Windows 10 on ARM CPU's and run win 32 x86 Desktop PC programs  MS UWP Apps  and Regular apps from the Windows 10 PC Microsoft store. Many people would buy this device on a world wide basis even though it is bigger than a smart phone. I would buy one.

The good thing about UWP is they work on any windows OS (see 1.5 billion win10 users on pc) if a new pocket pc can capture some of the smartphone market. Nadella will come out of this looking like a savior.

Ok maybe im a fan boy but if they do release a new lte device what's the problem. I've been on windows phones for five years and they have been reliable workhorses that never had problems. If i can take my uwp over to some other lte device in the next year or two im happy. What's the issue and im genuinely asking?

Have already made the switch and though I miss windows phone, I have to say I'm much happier cause everything works

I have a simple straight question for Jason Ward in order to better understand and "position" his analysis and Warditorials.  Jason, did you sign an NDA with MS?

I love how everyone seems to think Google and apple can conquer every market. Google has failed at various markets. They tried social twice, android wear is a joke (Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin rule with their own OSes), they failed at their first hardware division, and so on. They dominate in search and Android, maybe IoT, but that is questionable. Apple has tried for decades to crack Enterprise and their desktop share hasn't moved. They dominate in the iPhone... That is it. MS still dominates most aspects of computer infrastructure and Android/iOS isn't replacing that anytime soon. What should be more concerning to Apple and Google is the ever cozier relationship between the two biggest forces in the cloud, Amazon and MS. It isn't the guy digging for gold who gets rich, but rather the guy that sells the shovel.

Windows OS for Enterprise

Windroid [andromeda OS for consumers]

"I did not get why the world needed the third ecosystem in phones, unless we changed the rules." Silly statement !!

Google and Apple worked out a long time ago that Mobile is VERY important. Nadella doesn't agree! As soon as loyal Phone users switch to iOS or Android they are only a step away from moving eco systems entirely. I am with the Windows ecosystem because that is what my desktops and laptops are. The synchronization between the 3 is important to me. Contacts (People), email, calendar etc are all tied to MSFT ecosystem and the mobile thread is Windows Phone. When this is cut off thre is no real reason to stay with MSFT and all of a sudden a laptop with Chrome linked to a Google account and an Android Phone becomes a possibility or a Macbook with Apple account and an iPhone also become a possibility.

Because Gates has moved to Android and Belfiore to an iOS they will soon see what the benefits and disadvantages are. They will also see how easy and tempting it is to stay with just one ecosystem. This is especially the case if you are not a technically minded person - which is 99% of the market.

Link to the interview please.

Also I hope it is clear that MS has moved on from Mobile focus they now want to catch up with the supposedly next big thing. so in short no surface phone.

"In many cases customers have already chosen to work with you, and yet you consciously or unconsciously abandon them to go work off on the new shiny object."

Does anybody else think that such a statement is actually quite denigrating to Microsoft's loyal customers? I actually felt quite insulted by this. This is just something that a customer hotline rep should never have said, let alone the CEO.

In this (WinPhone) case, hitting refresh is a good thing imo.
Devs can ignore a niche 3rd mobile OS but, can people (consumers, freshmen, startups) ignore Windows (win10pc, win10s, win10arm)?

One thing for sure Microsoft killed off  it's chance to reenter the smart phone arena again, Consumers , it's oem partners. and the world wide carriers will be afraid to deal with Microsoft smart phones under Satya Nadella's leadership. I think the only Mobile device Microsoft could sell to the public would be a "Surface"  7 to 8 inch Mini Tablet with a cell phone in it's case Running Windows 10 on ARM with C Shell and "Continuum"  such a device would run full Win32 Desktop PC programs. just about ALL Windows 10 Microsoft Store Apps anf the Centennial Win32 desktop PC programs that are in the Windows 10 "Microsoft store" such a device would be like a small hand held  Surface Pro Tablet and run the same apps and PC proghrams the Surface pro 2 in 1 uses. Enough People would buy them for Microsoft take the time to make amd market them.

They should have just purchased Parallels and created a Parallels for windows phone that runs ios and android apps and we would not even be having this conversation.

Correction, they should have contracted Parallels to create it for them (no need to let Microsoft kill another perfectly good product).  Of course now that they have turned it into the **** that is windows10mobile it may not even be workable.   

Now if they could go back and make W10M as resource friendly as windows8.1mobile and do it, Google would go way out of their way to make it not work properly, but Apple could not say a thing since they have some cross product agreement and the Mac probably would not even exist without parallels.   

It's still not too late Nadella!!!!!    That's my 1 cents worth.

Duh! 

Nadella has said from the get go that Microsoft is committed to mobile. He has not changed his mind of that, just regretting that he did not pay closer attention to the phone base. Now given the fact that the future of computing for the masses is mobile I do not see Microsoft dropping that at all but rather trying to change the approach to mobile for the next generation of computing.

Jason. It's very difficult to tell what is quote, secondary source, or your opinion in these articles. The use of the term "I think" or "my view" might help us comprehend what has been said vs what you are saying. 

quote from 2 years ago: " If anything, one big mistake we made in our past was to think of the PC as the hub for everything for all time to come," Nadella

like most CEOs who just ride the wave and make up BS as things change around them to try to keep the share price humming Nadella is the same. Window phone was dead 2 years ago when it wasn't making enough profit for too long. Microsoft may have done better to keep a controlling share of Nokia and just let it run itself.

all history now.

I am staying with my April 2017 Lumia 950XL (UK) till it no longer works.

IF there is sufficient timespan, I will set aside funds for the Samsung Note 9 or the Surface Note/Phone

Now how will Microsoft stay relevant when the majority of the users dock their powerful Iphones or Android phones to a docking station and uses big scrrens and use Office software made by Apple or Goodle android. Hence a future where no Microsoft office is relevant or needed as other companies makes such solutions for huge eco-systems as IOS or Android? I mean what should force people to keep using Microsoft Office on the mini PCs of the future.... yes you guessed correctly that is the smart phones that will be docked like you have seen with Continium. 

No Windows/Microsoft mobiles means no OS that makes Microsoft Office relevant. Could the future hold the possibility that the CPU, RAM and personal data is to be find in the smart phone and that the docking stations holds GPUs, extra hard drives etc. ??? 

How will Microsoft stay relevant? Even IF they ship another new phone device with real windows 10 then WHY in earth should the current fan base care? Until now Microsoft has let all their phone users down. 

I fail to see any good outcomes here. Desktops and laptops will not go away but many working tasks WILL move over to the more PC like smart phones in the future. That means trouble for Microsoft in the long run...

Yes  it was a collosal failure to abandon those loyal to the platform. The day my Windows 10 phone stops working I will switch both my phone and laptop to Apple with no looking back. Many of us are tired of being abused by a company that used us then left us hanging high and dry.

I will never ever buy a Microsoft product again. Microsoft would have never appointed a tunnel vision IT person Stay as the President. A big mistake. Should have appointed a visionary instead.

Of course it was a mistake Nutella. Now, you have recognised that mobile is the entry to nearly everything else. Good, but completely and utterly useless, worth a poofteenth of nothing unless you actually demonstrate you've learned your lesson by acting to correct your mistake. No such action has been taken so I call BS on MS. Worst CEO I have ever seen, destroyed the reputation of two once great companies, MS  and Nokia.

I'm making this comment on downloaded bing from the play store on my old Samsung Galaxy Mega. Perhaps if Microsoft developed more apps that worked more like the windows version which has tabs directly linking to NSN, Office Online and Outlook.com it would relieve some of the loss of Windows phones. Maybe other basic apps like To-Do or even Windows Central?

I don't blame Nadella as much as I blame Ballmer.  If he'd have done the same thing with PCs that he did with phones, we wouldn't even be talking about Microsoft anymore.

Zzzzzzz...

FIRE BELFIORE

Too late, Satya. I don't know if I'm at all typical, but I was a loyal MS fan for years, and went to great effort to work within your ecosystem - phones, tablets, PC's.

After having been unceremoniously dumped so many times, I don't trust you any more.  I'm happily moving on to other platforms. As far as MS is concerned, I use Windows and Office on a PC, just like I started out 20 years ago.  Not much progress for all your efforts!

Quit being so stupid and open All devices to All carriers, Idiots

All I know is that I now sit here with an Lumia 950 XL phone that will loose apps support faster than water runs down the strain. I feel betrayed and very disappointed. I bought this phone a year ago brand new believing in Microsoft's promise on making those phones if no one else would and that they would invest in the universal app system.... PayPal left, Mobile pay lef, weChat left, myfitnesspal left and spottify is on maintenance mode. Then they ******* kill Grove music. I guess I hold a mobile phone and NOT a smart phone in my hand within long when all apps are discontinued. WTF??? Hei Nadella! We believed in you? We dared buying your phones! We invested time and money in you! Never again !

MS have been announcing 1 unified OS (now called OneCore) scalable since many years now. WP is not OneCore so RIP WP, as announced.  Pretty logic to me. Now is their communication process and the way how they approach consumers ok? surely not - there will be books written about how they failed in that area.  I am confident they have something truly amazing in the pipeline (presumably 2019). I suspect it will be announced at the right time (not a second earlier) and it will definitely be oriented at corporate use and prosumers. And because of e-sim technology, OneCore etc. the Dell's, HP, Asus, Acers,Lenovo's WILL engage because they will have the opportunity to break open (in the long run) a market that is now in the hands of a duopoly (Apple and Samsung).  Bottom line, if you cannot win the war, change the rules of the game so you can define the battlefield yourself. It's happening right under our nose and in 2 years all tabloids will say hey we did not see that coming.....

The problem with the thinking by Nadella and company is that they just assume that MS can abandon a platform and its users and developers, and those people will then just circle in a "holding pattern" until the company announces their Next Big Thing. But those users and developers aren't going to just sit around. We're going to move to Android and IOS, and anything MS announces "in the future" won't matter to those who have moved on. Once we turn our backs on Microsoft - no matter how hard that decision is to take - there won't be any going back, unfortunately.

I am one of those MS loyalists who believed all the hype (now looking like BS) about Windows utility and productivity across all platforms. I still love my now essentially abandoned 950XL. Should I take the bait yet again?  Frankly, I don't trust MS any longer. They will have to do something really convincing to keep me from drifting way.  I'm actually considering holding my nose and going to Apple in the hope of finding some systemic consistency.   

I wonder if Nadella has considered returning some of his pay and bonuses as contrition for his "mistakes"?

So he's admitting that he's basically screwed the entire company with his boneheaded decisions that we all saw happening before our eyes.  I had faith in this guy initially but now he doesn't seem like he's the kind of guy who should be leading a multi-billion dollar company.

People are missing a key point.  If the goal is a unified platform and therefore only on OS shared by all devices, then developers need not develop for "mobile."  They develop for Windows and they get mobile, IOT, Desktop, tablet etc.   This has been the stated direction of MS since Bill Gates annouced his vision 20+ years ago.  He said he saw a world where Personal Interactive Devices (Pcs then), Portable Interactive Devices (a  then yet to be made hybrid of mobile phone and PDA), and Social Interactive Devices (TVs then) were only different in the way people interacteed with them. They would be able to access all data no matter the source, run all the same programs and share one operating system. The single OS may be from different ecosystems, like Apple of MS but other than that all devices would communicate, access data, and integrate relativly seamlessly. 

It is hard to believe but we are almost there.  If MS has truely solved the CORE system then the Nadellas comments and the rest make sense and the development problem of a "mobile," desktop, and Social (Smart TV, IOT world) becomes trule nothing but a semantic difference in how a user interacts.  This could be world bending.

Nadella IS committed to Windows Mobile - er - Windows ON mobile.  I understand why they pulled out. It is also clear that WinPhone/WinMob was a cluster-f from the day iOS was launched and WinMob 6.5 was terrible by comparison. The carriers - at least in America - never supported the OS as they did Apple or Samsung after 7.0 failed to fly.  So market share never took off - regardless of the fact that the UI and overall experience was (and remains) far superior to the hunt-peck-oogle idiom of iPhone (which is like a nursery school toy) and Android (which sucks electrons faster than a Tesla at full speed). 

So, if you can't re-model or create a market, you have to figure out how to survive in the market(s) that exist and that is what Nadella has done. 

Overall, though, I cannot see but that it leads to decline for Microsoft as mobile IS the gateway to computing and the next generations will have grown up using Goog Docs, Sheets, Slides and GMail - not Microsoft's offerings.   But, when you are a legacy icon, everyone wants to rip down your statue. 

It is a crying shame that MS keeps coming out with innovative products but fails to follow up on developing the products.

The only thing wrong with Windows Mobile was that MS did not commit to developing the OS and decided that MS did not need the consumers anymore.

MS can do the world a favor and leave the consumer market altogether. There should be no tears shed for a company that does not need the consumers!

As a buyer of a Microsoft phone and a user of Win 10 on 4 systems I feel shat on by the company. A loyal user since Win 3.1 I dispair. Not only is the phone going to die, but Win10 updates disable their own MS software. it seems to me that not only does the company have contempt for users, it can no longer write programmes that work with its own operating syustem. Outlook is now poor compared to previous iterations. Edge is complete rubbish, Bing doesn't compare to Google for search. Its no good chasing the 'shiny new thing' if you cannot make your kit work now. Sounds to me like Mocrosoft are not a company to invest in, either by buying their kit or shares. 

James. Please don't waste my time anymore with these kind of articles.

Speculation does not make sense, taking into account your erroneous articles concerning Microsoft mobile strategy....

I'm almost ready to throw in the towel on Windows Central. Not because of the content and information but mainly because its just sad. I left Windows Phone with the cancellation of the McLaren for Android. I was hoping it was going to be a year or two before Microsoft got things together and the OS matured and Microsoft brought out some killer devices and (I'm still a little salty that the Lumia 1020 wasn't revived with SD820 or higher, 4gb of RAM, microSD card, same great sensor with new processing algorithms... I'm getting off track), updated features. But life has literally been moving and Windows 10 Mobile has almost stood still and now to the point of going away. I was expecting the unveiling of a Surface Phone this fall. I was a young father of a little girl when I left and she's almost ready for kindergarten. I'm really glad I left when I did now cause I would seriously be pissed having spent all this time hoping in something Microsoft never delivered. But this is still sad to see. I still kinda hoped from afar all these years. Ah, forgive my little moment. Keep up the great work Windows Central team.

The last guy with both vision and passion was Gates, and unless he pulls a Jobs and steps in the company will become the next IBM.  They think they cannot lose the enterprise space, but IBM thought that about OS/2.  History does repeat itself, and in the corporate world it is usually because of poor management and lack of vision.

What is taking shape now is that consumers are finally catching on that Microsoft within a short period of time gives up on hardware, for example  Zune, Windows RT, Micosoft Band, and now Windows Phone. Whats next Xbox, then Surface?  Consumers are NOT going to continue to buy from a company that consistently gives up and drops support.  Due to the recent news of Microsoft team members saying they have switched over to another mobile OS and that Micosoft has finally admitted given up on Windows Mobile was the last straw for me.  I am currently in the process of selling my 3 Windows Phones, XBox One, Surface Laptop and Band and I will be switching over to another OS and believe you me I will NOT be downloadiing any apps or software that is associated with Microsoft and I hope many many others follow suite.  I have been a Microsoft fan from the beginning and have enjoyed their products and I am a HUGE WINDOWS PHONE FAN but I am DONE! My whole family is on Windows Phone because of me, I have lost friends defending and aruging over Windows Phone and it saddens me that this CEO has dragged Microsoft down to this point and yes I blame him.  Say what you will but Steve Ballmer had more passion in his one pinky for Windows than Nadella has in his whole boby.   I see very very dark days ahead for Microsoft and guess what YOU DESERVE IT! 

I say, it's never too late for Microsoft to put out a device and market it, as they should have been doing with previous devices, and it taking off. I wouldn't expect immediate growth and a great spurt of Windows fans coming back, but if they made a device (whether it looked like a phone or not), showed actual commitment behind it, and marketed the death out of it by showcasing its many features via various media mediums, change is possible. For me, I love my HP Elite X3.  I always changed phone carriers just to get my hands on the latest Windows Phone. I don't really have any other smartphone experience to compare it to, but I do know how a phone looks is part of what catches my eye and I have, to this day, have not seen one phone that is as eye-catching as Window Phone's transparent tiles and what you can do with them to create an awesome home screen. I've heard about apps/software that can make an Android look like a Windows Phone home screen, but how much like the original are those softwares/apps? If I ever make the switch to another phone, I will share that, but I'm one tough customer to get to change over from something I bought for a reason and I don't see that reason in another product. 

Why does Microsoft need to be in the phone/mobile OS market? Because the future is mobile and Microsoft make operating systems. Kinda worrying the CEO doesn't get that. Everyone has at least two mobile devices - phone and tablet and mostly they don't run Microsoft OS.

Windows rules the desktop and laptop marketatthe moment. But people are dropping their desktops, and why go for a Windows laptop when your mobile devices will play better with a different OS? So the future is going to be more difficult because Microsoft filed to develop a mobile OS market

Microsoft has been in the mobile market since the days of WINCE. How they turned their early lead, and the potential for synergy with Nokia into zilch is truly remarkable. MBA students will look at it for years to come 

Yeah, lets abandon our user base, promise the moon and deliver dirt and then hope they come running back to us. That is just plain the stupidest business decision I have ever seen, I just hope Microsoft can dig themselves out of the hole that the CEO and VP has put them in before it is too late.

Having bought and ditched Nokia, I think MSFT's strategy was clear. As you rightly point out, Jason, "eradicating" Windows phones and their ngegative perception was paramount to "hitting refresh". The key problem with modern Windows phones, ie., W8M and W10M was apps. Market share just did not justify the expenditure for developers. However, with OneCore/CShell, where Windows 10 can scale up or down, depending on form factor, a developer, developing UWP apps for Windows 10 desktops/laptops, simply will add the extra lines of code necessary for Windows 10 to scale down to a smaller form factor, such as might be presented by a phablet/voice enabled device (or even the rumoured Andromeda device). Windows 10 has the numbers and we see new good quality apps appearing in the store on a daily basis. This is the way to go. That said, I believe MSFT has been incredibly disingenuous and downright cavalier with people's emotions in how they have played this saga but then given the numbers of Windows 10 subscribers out there, I guess they brought that into their calculations.

being a Windows Mobile user since the days of the PocketPC, WM4 WM5.3, WP7, etc... etc.. etc.. I am PISSED. Its one thing to drop the ball continuously, its another to refocus on Enterprise and the few customers they have with high end hardware and IoT. Which is what it looked like they were doing and what HP was doing. But the then take a heavy sweaty dump on not only the last of the loyal customer base, but ALSO the OEMs, proves that Nadella is basically going to be the end of MS as we know it and in a bad way. I mean VR and AI COULD be incorporated into XBox and PC.. but thats not where the market is going. They are going SMALLER. Dongles on the TV ( Firestick anyone ), Handhelds.. etc.. They have had a chance. But as noted by NOT having a precesence in Mobile with a OS that cleanly integrates into the PC, they are failing. The only thing I can see is them forking Android apps to work natively on the PC. So the Surface and tablets can use Android Apps like an Android tablet would do. But to do that they better get busy. I mean seriously how hard would it have been for them to fork Android into a WP like looking OS. So its both WP and Android ? Instead they tried the other way around and failed. I fully expect Amazon to buy MS.. sooner than later.  

Too late. They left for Android. And who know's if and when a Chrome o/s will suddenly pring up, hey?
Dear Satya, I have spent money on two Windows phones - only to be skrewed by you soon after. Now I am o0n Android. And hey, while it does not look as good as Windows, EVERYTHING WORKS.

Rather than hurting committed companies like HP, Nadella must have handled them more carefully. 

OEMs like HP and others invested in Windows 10 Mobile devices because they have seen a future in it. They were committed until Microsoft repeatedly ignored consumers and keep working on Products for shyOS and sillyAndroids.

Nadella travels on the plane a lot but I think he either wears a headset or plays deaf during Flight Safety Announcement. The flight attendant always emphasizes "If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person." 

Microsoft was struggling with Windows Mobile and he thought he should rather develop iOS and Android apps than fixing Windows Mobile.

How many users use Microsoft apps/products on their SillyAndroids and ShyPhones ahead of their own equivalent apps? Microsoft was investing and concentrating heavily in all these while Microsoft Mobile needed more attention for its development. 

I hope Microsoft learns from these mistakes.

So Nutella just let down windows phone to focus on developping a bunch of Skype bots that nobody talk with? Genius!

The MS supporters voiced this over and over and he failed to listen. I supported MS since before windows 7 but since Nadela took over I have seen them fail to support consumers. After groove and the W10 mobile announcement I ordered my Pixel and have moved everything over to Google. This includes canceling my 365 subscription and will close my OneDrive account once I transfer everything over.
He single handedly ruined MS for consumers and should have been removed as CEO but short term profits at the cost of the future seems to be what MS investors want.

Your arguments about why this is a mistake are all very true and obvious.  That's why I am sure Nadella is not making a "mistake" in his mind.  MSFT seems to be telegraphing very clearly that they feel Windows will be dead in less than 10 years and they are moving the company in the direction to ensure survival in a post-Windows world.  Their actions speak louder than words.  If that's not true, and they are actually trying to save Windows, then I agree, they are making a mistake.  In fact, I would say Nadella and the Board are collectively insane.  

And I was told I didn't know what I was talking about when I have repeatedly said this for the past two years. He has sank this company and is now trying to save his ass. Sorry to tell him, to late. Only thing saving this company no is his firing or him doing at least one thing honorable, and quoting. Other than that, this company is doomed.

I have stayed with Windows phone since the first version came out and now suddenly knowing that MS is abondoning this platform has caused me anguished and lose faith completely in MS. Will get ready to get an android phone (as I am never an apple fan) and also will migrate MS related apps to other platform too. (Like gmail instead of outlook mail and calendar). I must say I have enjoyed using windows phone but now it is causing a huge disappointment and frustration.

Nadella has been a technical, "Big Iron" guy his entire career.

Frankly, he does not understand the "Consumer Space" AT ALL (at least now he admits it.)

For all his many faults, at least Balmer had some inkling of the need to maintain a foothold in the consumer space, even though he did it WRONG by trying to BUY marketshare via the Nokia purchase as opposed to building a MS-owned vertical manufacturing base. It was doomed to failure, and it did fail.

This is what happens in any company that has 80%+ market share in anything. They get Fat, Dumb, and Happy and the executives spend all their time in-fighting for their personal goals and spend much more time and money trying to LOCK their consumers into their product than expanding the products flexibility and usefulness.
Example: IBM

MS also was caught flat-footed by the EXPLOSION of the Consumer Space in Asia in the 2000s. For too many years they looked only to the US and Europe for revenue, but the explosion of the Chinese and Indian consumer markets took them completely by surprise. Google and Apple and Samsung saw it coming and were nimble enough and prepared for it. MS did not/could not.

Now, it's too late. Early leads in AR MIGHT have staved it off, but MS typically noodled around in it as a Research Project and then DEMANDED it be built into their cash cow: Windows, instead of putting it out to the market to gain that early marketshare advantage. Now Google and Apple have caught up and can leverage THEIR products to consumers NOW while MS waits for consumers to maybe upgrade to the latest W10 version.

Typical.

Nadella is blinded by the mountains of money that Azure is making and frankly, could not care less about Consumer Products. So it goes. Short-Term gains over Long-Term Market Share.

 "I did not get why the world needed the 'fourth' ecosystem in 'Cloud Solutions', unless we changed the rules." Google does it. Amazon does it. IBM does it. 

Nadella needs to be replaced. For years, he's never given a straight answer to anything, especially Win phones. All he did was avoid answers, while offering some nebulous comments that left loyal customers baffled. And MS completely borked the marketing of Win phones, which killed off its market share, and domino'd into devs not bothering with apps for it. There's no reason in the world Win 10 phones couldn't compete against iPhone & Android.

Not to mention, updates for Win 10 & applications are poorly done and tested, which makes them a dice roll every time, as you cross your fingers that nothing breaks on your systems.

Seriously, Nadella is an example of the Peter Principle and MS needs new leadership that can harness the enthusiasm of their devs and customers to re-introduce Win phones and improve their offerings & quality across the board.

Why doesn't Microsoft modify Windows 10 to allow you to make phone calls? If they did that then the OS could be loaded on to a phone.  Your phone would become a Windows Pocket PC running UWP apps with the ability to make phone calls.  

Nadella doesn't care about the future. He only cares about the income statement today and his bonuses.

I already sell my HP elite x3, but I still using windows phone 10 with my ex Lumia 930. I in this moment I try to find some Android phone, but my heart it's broken, think I switch to android and I never see windows phone OS... But well meant I change to LG V30, or S8 plus or note 8, but in this moment I cancel office 365, cancel groove, in the future cancel Xbox live, ea access , I cant belive, now I selling my Surface pro 3 to, my angry is to extreme I know, but I'm very angry

Nadella said it's cloud first. At this rate, it's going to be cloud only as the consumer market dries up to nothing. Microsoft will be extremely vulnerable without a mobile presence. A few apps on iOS and android will do nothing to change that as Microsoft become a forgotten company for the vast majority of users.

Fothermucker.

I want Belfiore Fired like Sinofsky

And one last thing focusing on one comment I made.  The most distructive piece of their abandoning product lines is the internal piece.  Employees begin to question management commitment, and indirectly their own future.  If I am working on let's say Windows Mobile and I know it may be killed, why stay?  Google and Apple are committed and welcome talent.  You lose your ability to retain talent or to recruit the best talent when futures are uncertain.  When you fail to tell the truth to your employees the organization begins to corrode from the inside.  It is a slow and sure death, and current management will leave the mess to their replacements.  Current management thinks they cannot lose because of the Windows desktop dominance, but they are wrong because both consumers and enterprises seek intergrated solutions these days.

Too little too late for me.

Although Microsoft have no obligation to me, their practices over Phone and Groove have me very cautious. How long before Movies and TV go?

I thought it was bad enough when they dropped Band.

It's a shame as I'm heavily invested in the MS ecosystem, but it's quite obvious they are not interested in the consultation market.

What current management fails to get is that they are focused on sub-optimization.  Youi cannot preach "Windows Everywhere" and "Eco System" without looking at the profitibility of the combined effort.  All their stated goals go out the window (pun intended) when they kill off pieces because it discredits their stated goals both internally and externally.  Apple gets it, Google gets it, Adobe gets it, and Amazon gets it; but Microsoft misses it.  Gates got it because he understood to compete in the technical arena you must cover the landscape with product.

This is a death note for Microsoft and they will go the way of IBM.  Profits in the short term will improve, but viability of their technology will be replaced as customers seek other alternatives.  Enterprise customers will also begin to leave (check out municipalities who bet on MSFT mobile) as they seek integrated solutions.  Companies that go after short term profits and sacrifice visions always lose in the long term, and unfortunately MSFT is at that crossroad.  It happpened to IBM, Sears, GE, GM, Kodak, BestBuy, Polaroid, and a host of others.  No vision equals no company.  The common denominator is management arrogance and death spiral sub-optimization.

OK, so he admitted it. Now change the proud tradition, established by your founder Bill.

Well. I'm a former java developer who has been swayed towards UWP and to "one software works on all devices" paradigm. Now I'm left with an unfinished project and what future? I was idealist I told myself I'd add my two bits to this grand idea against the odds because I believed in it. Now I sit here here in disbelief. How can MS kill its own future? I don't see a long term future even for windows if this idea fails.

I don't mean this to sound hyperbole, but I'm beginning to think in 10 years or so, MS will be IBM. Still a very profitable company, but no consumer play. 

In my opinion, cancelling phones was bad decision which will lead to the downfall of MS. They have money they can waste now. Which they were supposed to use to build the best mobile platform. They had huge volume of insiders giving them feedback for free.

So their sole purpose was to select the highest priority ones and focus development on that.

But they didn't do that. Instead of that they rushed W10 mobile out of door without propper testing and made the whole world to laugh at them...

EU was a good market for Windows phones, so they should have used this opportunity to build and improve this OS. basically anyone on Windows was using MS services, so transfer to new product which would not be compatible with old system would be easy for them.

Instead they killed it with their lack of interest.

Users wanted small things like transparent icons for Skype, office apps landscape mode for start screen. How hard this could be?

I know there were major issues, but these little things improve daily life of the end user... And that's what matters. They need to fucus on that as well.

Without mobile they will dissappear in years to come. If Google made a Google laptop running android with similar interface to Windows. Hell, I can buy this to my parents, because they do only common stuff on it...

Windows will keep only gamers, because there is no other gaming platform.

Enterprise? They will swap to Apple as the trend is there. Their image is so strong that people want it blindly and make no mistake it will come truth in years to come (20 perhaps).

They cut down every interesting product. And you know what two years back they seemed to really start to look cool. And then they decided to destroy it all.

I really don't get their approach...

When I switched to the LG G6 I decided to give Google's services a try and let's be honest other than office Google's offerings are better than Microsoft's especially on an android phone. I was all in on Microsoft's services and hardware, by not providing me a mobile option they have lost me as a user. I can't imagine Nadella doesn't realise this will happen he's the CEO after all. It's more like he doesn't care, interviews like this are just lip service to try to placate Windows fans. The bottom line is that the "Surface Phone" is going to have to be incredible to draw me back.

Good he's admitted that is a huge issue.   Now time to guarantee their devices on point of sale.  I hope they also realise forcing edge onto people who don't want it is wrong too.   And lastly taking simple things like a weekly calenders view or linked in boxes away in 8.1 and waitingb11 and 12 months to give them back is not acceptable either.  So is leaving some software out from,10 like gestures beta lol.  Lastly sort out new tabs in edge so they open up to the users home page or and page of choice.  This is sucky. 

I agree with everyone on here! Long time (I'm 46!) Microsoft supporter. Growing up as a young adult, all my home computer were Windows, 98- W10. I bought a Zune, loved it! I had two Lumia 822's, two 928's(me and my girlfriend, who loved her 928 btw) an Icon and now a 735. I'm on the Insiders program. An original Xbox, 5 different Xbox 360's(red ring of death on two of them(!), an Xbox one and Xbox One S, a W10 HP desktop for my daughter. Got my first used Surface Pro 3 last year for recording music and drawing. Like many of you, I've defended this platform relentlessly. My step sister's husband works for Microsoft, and he was stunned to hear I still owned a WP! (He works in for Microsoft in Texas). I'm sure if you added all this up, again, like most you, tons of money invested in their products and services. Probably over the years, enough for a decent car!!

One thing no one mentions on here, is the horrible launch and pulling of the KIN PHONES back in May of 2010 on Verizon. After a mere 2 months, Microsoft pulled this phone, the Kin one and Kin two. They cancelled their entire European release and gave up. I'm a Verizon customer for 15 years, and I heard they were so mad at Microsoft, hence their later attitude towards carrying and supporting Windows phone. No one mentions this and I feel it was detrimental to Microsoft going forward in Mobile, because in the U.S., Verizon is the biggest carrier. Why would you want to piss them off? That made the other carriers apprehensive to carry and push Windows phones, yes? I believe so. If the Kin would've been a success, things might have turned out differently. I'm sure this was not the only factor to Windows phone being in the state it's currently in, but I think this has a lot to do with it!

Cheers to all!
If you wanna see what a sucker looks like, hit me up!
www.mattmoss.com

Can we gate Steve and Bill back in to the office and run MS once more?

The few million people who owned windows phones I guarantee were Microsoft's biggest fans. They would have been the first to buy mixed reality devices and paid monthly for Xbox gold and Groove. Now just like me I probably will not buy a microsoft VR device. Facebook seems to be really putting in the effort with their VR offering. I no longer consider myself a "Everything Microsoft" purchaser.

What really hurt Windows Phone was empty promises that they lost interest on keeping. WP7 was the transition from Windows mobile and kept all of it's functionality in a touch environment similar to WM 6.5. It had features that the iPhone couldn't simply do until the iPhone 3 came out. Android at the time was basically percieved as a touch version of symbian. WP8 was suposed to be a transtion from WP7 and shed all of the Widows Ce core code from the platform but they lost all the basic functionality of WP7. WP8 was the beginning of Microsoft's downward spiral in mobile because while they just started to get serious in mobile, iPhone was already in on it's 4th generation and Android was picking up steam due to it's open ended platform. WP8.1 and the aquistion of Nokia was arguably either a desparate or ingenious move at the time because it offered the possiblity of a hero mobile device that directly could have competed with Apple's product but also allowed the license to be available to other oems similar to Android. Unfortunately Microsoft's lack of focus and inability to market thier own product made this deal seem like a precieved desparate move instead of taking full adavntage of this opprtunity. Meanwhile WP8.1 never filled the promise of true intergration with Windows NT core so it never worked with Windows seemlessly and ironically less so than WP7 did while iPhone always had iTunes desktop for Mac & PC! If this isn't just stupid IDK what is! Windows 10 mobile finally intergrated with all of it's relative platforms through cloud syncing making it a hybrid of sorts between iPhone and Android, allowing an ideal environment for users to exist in a multiplatform ecosystem. The promise of one core finally, seemless intergaion with a mobile experience that should have been prefferable on this platform for at least first party apps along with developer interest of intergrating the same code across multiple platforms. And then they decide to abandon it because they never had the vision of a competeing third ecosystem. BS! Satya had every intention of killing this platform and every step he made ensured it's demise. 

When MS released Windows 8 (desktop) and WP 8. I was MS biggest cheer leader. People were hating SO hard on windows 8, but I could see where they are Going with it (in the future) and I was super excited. Tried like hell to get SO Many people to jump on this bandwagon and ride it. 

and then, MS release a half baked piece of garbage that they called a smart phone. and i knew then, it was the death of Mobile and there was no way in hell MS was going to recover from this.  I was right. 

Now, even tho I like Windows 10 (desktop), i'm done. Decided to Not buy an Xbox. I was going to buy a new Surface Laptop. Now, I am backing out of ALL their services and I am going to speak with my waller and go neck deep into the Apple Ecosystem. iPhone, Mac, ipad, Apple music, iCloud Email, Pages, Keynote, numbers etc. MS has screwed every single fan over and didn't even try lube. To hell with MS. Good luck being with being purely an enterprise OS and an office supplier. That's all MS can do now anyways. They will fail at AR/VR etc with the same gusto. 

Joe tried to talk about how they "tried so hard" to get developers. No they didn't... 

Everything MS tries ends in failure.. I will never understand how a software GIANT can be so damn bad as software. Any software company THIS bad at software, why in the hell would I trust their Hardware.  No thanks MS. Bye Bye. 

The high brass at MSFT has to be replaced. As developers we embrace new technologies, and most of us have spent much money and many hours learning it. With MSFT once spearheading this path it has let many of us to a cul-de-sac. Most of us have probably embraced the new ideas at the Build pep rallys only to find out 24 months later that it was nothing more than an infomercial using many of us as the foot soldiers for the revenue stream. (I know that is carcastic, but there is a bit of truth therein) There was no commitment to follow through. Let's look at the last 5-7 years. Silverlight, WindowsRT, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Microsoft Band, Skype (Consumer End), Windows Phone, Nokia, Windows 10 Mobile, and now Groove and we could probably read the tea leaves to see what's next.
Look, I was a big fan, but it’s difficult to defend something that has no true intention of commitment. When you have Mr. Belfiore touting that they have done everything they could is completely delusional. Yes, they threw money at it, paid developers for a short while to get the snowball rolling, but the plan and product was frail and incomplete from the get go. Developing for the RT platform was a bit squirrely in my opinion then it changed and you had to spend more hours digging and learning more. UWP was the next step. Ok lets learn UWP. Well there are holes in that too. (Ever try to send an email with an attachment(s) in a Windows Store app? Works different depending on what device your on. Yes, finally got it to work, (3rd party dll), but how many hours did it cost you. I know some will reply negatively to my reply but I know there are many that have experienced similar situations. As a developer you finally say, "The hell with it, I'm not spending any more hours with this stuff when it may not even be around in a year or year in a half." What are they pushing now, Azure and O365. Why, because the revenue stream is the focus and not the innovation.
There is innovation but it is very far sighted and what will probably happen with this mentality is that you will get a competitor that has their priority and dedication set on innovation. And they will commit and execute a plan, and will be deemed the innovator. The fruit of that is a lucrative revenue stream. That is where MSFT is missing the mark.
On a more positive side, their only hope is if they do truly commit to UWP, Andromeda, and put out a killer mobile device that we can start writing apps for to populate the store. It’s going to have to be a innovative marvel. It can’t be a mobile HoloLens type of device, because no one is going to walk around with a set of glasses on their head to check email and browse the net. It’s going to have to be a device that someone picks up and says, “Wow, where do I buy one of these?”
Personally, I’m not waiting for this and have already started on the “Dark Side.” Perhaps if this came to pass it would entice some of us to revisit and come back.
Until then…. throw new System.InvalidOperationException("I’m out.");

I generally agree with all of this. Microsoft is in for a world of hurt regarding operating systems or app stores going forward. Windows Mobile was the gateway to both those. Sure it wasn’t successful but it needed to be if they wanted them to succeed. They spent too little, too late, on the platform. All signs point forward now to a future as a software and cloud provider. You can throw the rest out because it’ll never see the usership it needs.

Google and Apple are going to be the big players moving forward. Business is really the only thing keeping MS afloat as the consumer market  begins to reject PCs. Give it ten years or so but Microsoft is on the path to becoming Sega. Hey’ll still be around, but not as you know them.

What is he planning to do to correct this? Clearly said in one of the articles Mixed Reality or AI makes no sense without mobile device.
We carry mobile more than any device. I had lots of hopes with Nadella. But now I think MS under him will only be an enterprise company.
And we consumers have to stick to Google or Apple now for day to day gadgets .. sadly :(

Good article.  Windows phone really was caught between a rock and a hard place.  I think any decision he made was going to cost Microsoft something.  Still, no amount of wishful thinking was going to save the platform.  Microsoft was several years too late to having the Windows 10 Mobile platform even be ready to compete against iOS and Android. 

time to get rid all my microsoft service. Love their outlook, and onenote but changes needed.

the reason i stick with windows 10 only because of photoshop. will consider using VM now. 

The mythical Windows future device to change the world. Seriously?

The world may not need a third ecosystem, but Microsoft needed to be that third ecosystem. In his own words, he needed to change the rules of the game. And in his own words too, it is not about phone as a separate device category, it is about remaining relevant in personal computing where phone is just one of the form factors. By completely ceding this space, Microsoft is in effect abandoning personal computing.

It is Satya's defeatism and lack of vision and conviction that led to this. This is going to cost Microsoft very dearly, and I don't think they will ever recover from this.

What will this all mean to Continuum?  I get the abandonment of Windows 10 Mobile, but MS seemed to have had pushed really hard the Continium feature.  Does Continiuum not fit into the overall "not a phone but a new form factor for mobile computing" gameplan?

Jason this is one of the BEST articles I've read by you!  The idea Microsoft may have folded now only to bring out something better in future has merit.  I like that idea.  But if they were smart they would not brand it Microsoft or Windows.  They need to name and market it under a different moniker!!!!  Plus if they do come back with the new OS I hope they don't get rid of the LIVE Tiles, but they need to have a setting for just Icons for those people who do not like Live Tiles.  Just give people the option.  Me, I love live tiles.  But it seems there are those that just can't get engaged with it.  So, give them something they are familiar with but with a setting option where they could use either Live Tiles or Icons.  Again, this is one of the best articles I read from you.  I enjoyed it! 

Microsoft should build its own variant of Android in same way Amazon did with Fire OS. Atleast MS will not have to worry about the app gap and the OS can be customized as per MS specific needs. I think this is one of the best options MS has if it wants to come back in the mobile space.

the next shiny object they are loseing attention span with is continuum I'm sure apple and google are going o thrive wit it And with out a phone your AI is not going to be in too many peoples hands .

Consumers are the software developers MS so desperately needs and MS has been screwing those consumers over for years. I thought Satya would turn that aspect of MS around, instead he accelerated it. I had plans to purchase a new Surface, Xbox One X, and a Samsung Mixed Reality setup. There is no way that is going to happen now. After the recent announcements... MS is no longer getting a penny of my hard-earned cash. I've been so passionate about MS products for years but they have consistently let us loyal consumers down. They were so close to having the perfect eco-system. It all points to poor leadership, toxic culture, and always chasing after the almighty dollar. Numbers and money follow, they do not lead.

I think with the news of the demise of windows phone and groove are the pivotal sign, that consumer focus is traded for strictly business oriented investment (whatever that means). 

They may bring out a reboot device. But I get a feeling its history repeating itself all over again in the mobile space. We know now how that turns out. I'm not worried about the hardware though. I'm worried about the state of the software. There is a lot of progress in innovation on many levels, but there is a huge lack of following through in the fot and finish. Windows is a mess. At the end of the day we're supposed youse it, but many features are good in potential but are half baked, or even not accessible in many regions and languages. Apps are still an issue on windows. I don't know what's the solution to that is. But I do think it would help for microsoft to look broadly at the extensive feedback, and get the back log of insider feedback going. I ser they are lagging behind at least 12 months on the back log, despite the current rs3 and 4 roadmap.

Here’s a thought, why not sell Windowsphone to HDM or whoever bought Nokia. Nokia always built the best Windowsphones anyway.

abandon consumer market is a bad choose...

Last one out shut the lights .

You know it is a mistake, and you still do it. Wasted my 20 years loyalty.

I think that MS has developed (pun intended) a reputation which will not be shaken. It was more important to shake the long building reputation that MS is a company of startup technology which never gets finished to a point where end users, developers, and OEM partners can achieve a reasonable ROI for their time, and money investments, than to shake the stigma of a slow progressing ecosystem. The key difference is that the former is a reputation of perpetually stunted progress, vs a reputation of continuous progress. They seemingly consistently choose to be drunk on designed obsolescence to the nth degree, and people are catching on to it, and switching platforms as a result. Poor decision in the long run, but what do these corporate heads care? It's all good in their bank account for now. lol

I wonder if windows 10 will have same demise?, I'm still on 7 i don't like it 

So... Microsoft is going to fix abandoning consumers doing it again and again and again?  Yea.... that'll work.

Hey Jason, thanks for this article. It helps to feel less foolish and disrespected by MS for their actions towards consumers. I know it's nothing like an apology or anything like that but it at least helps to feel that our voices ate being heard. We'll done for addressing this point. It seems you have the guts to take on things others don't.

Currently idk how Microsoft can do to become great again.

Yeah, this will hurt them. More than when Windows Mobile was changed to Window Phone 7, then 8, 8.1, then 10. All to be left again, while they "retrench" themselves in another category. The problem I see is multi-faceted and not just about, "You have no phones for consumers."

The idea of AI, Mixed Reality, cloud computing, bodes very well for the companies who have mobile, pocket sized devices to leverage. In that space, utlizing something like AR, comes into play for people holding phones in their hand, scanning their environment. Removing such items from the list of devices, that can be the vehicle for the future developments, will hurt the overall reception to anything MS is attempting to achieve.

To assume, you can abandon a cause multiple times, burning not only consumers, but your OEMs and try to shift to conversation to the "future", means you are still out of touch. We shouldn't actually be in this space to begin with, if you were leading from the front or at the very least reaching out to your consumers and closely hearing what is being said. I mean, he could have used the comment section/forums of Windows Central and got all the feedback he needed. 

I look at this like eating at a restaurant that constantly gets your order wrong. After the 3rd, 4th... 5th time they get it wrong, I'm sure you would write off that place from getting your money and time, because they clearly can't or don't care about your service. MS has basically managed Windows Phone in the same light. While we had blips of great service, products and attention, ultimately it came back down and we went back to finding proper solutions.

Look I'm a fan, I was there, through it all, but this last one.... is the last one. I still use Bing as my search engine on an iPhone (1520 died and instead of utilizing the only company who actually innovated with WP, MS decided to kill off the deal), I like Microsoft Edge, I use Windows 10 Pro on a PC. However, I also now have other devices I thought I'd look to MS to full fill. Like my Apple Watch, as a wearable, an iPad for a tablet experience (yes, I own a Surface Pro 4, but that's not a tablet-like experience for me) or switching to Apple Music because Groove wouldn't have albums available, when released (all to see them cancel the service out right). I still use my Xbox for games primarily and entertainment at home (Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc.), but remove a mobile device and much of what we use is stationary. 

While a Surface Phone would have me interested, to think the percentage of people who would care is above the 3% (if that), would be a dream. It would take, at this point a complete 360, but than again... they've already done that... twice. 

And here we are again.

Best bet as of right now.... enjoy Windows 10 (solid, great OS), if that's your main computer OS, find another option for a phone or mobile device.  

It's far easier to hold on to customers than it is to acquire them. 

MS threw away all the seeds. It's tough to grow anything without seeds. 

I must confess that we use only Android and iOS phones in our household. But I would prefer not to (always) support the Apple fan-club thing or Google's super focus on ads and selling private data. So if an Apple/Google competitor offers a competitive product then I will give it a good look, if not my first right of refusal. That's the role I had hoped (and still hope?) that Microsoft would fill in the mobile device space. They were right to focus on the cloud and productivity. I'm a full-time user of OneNote, One Drive, and Outlook. But what a mistake they made by not fighting harder, longer, and with more passion to stay relevant in the mobile space. The fact that Google did and Microsoft didn't is, well, rather sad in my view. Anyway, Jason, I enjoy your articles, quixotic as they are at times :)

I must confess that we use only Android and iOS phones in our household. But I would prefer not to (always) support the Apple fan-club thing or Google's super focus on ads and selling private data. So if an Apple/Google competitor offers a competitive product then I will give it a good look, if not my first right of refusal. That's the role I had hoped (and still hope?) that Microsoft would fill in the mobile device space. They were right to focus on the cloud and productivity. I'm a full-time user of OneNote, One Drive, and Outlook. But what a mistake they made by not fighting harder, longer, and with more passion to stay relevant in the mobile space. The fact that Google did and Microsoft didn't is, well, rather sad in my view. Anyway, Jason, I enjoy your articles, quixotic as they are at times :)

Nadella should admit he made a mistake and walk back the decision to sacrifice not only Windows Phone, but all the folks who love it. Admitting you made a mistake takes more integrity than continuing down the wrong path. Maybe it's not too late. Microsoft should get off the market share thing and make a great product. Look at Corvette. Do they have a big market share? No, but the folks who drive them sure do like the ride. MIcrosoft should keep W10M alive until it can upstage it to something better. It doesn't have to compete against companies that make a lot of gadgets. But it should lead the way for its products and services, and Windows Phone is the platform to do just that. 

Walk back the decision while you still can.

we also need to put the blame on AT&T.  Their exclusivity killed windows phone.  They wouldnt let Tmobile, Sprint and Verizon have a foothold on the devices.

Jason Ward's influential writing might just be the snap of the finger Microsoft need to wake up out of the anti consumer mobile state of consciousness.

Fact, the Lumia 520 proved there is a wp market in the US, period. The 920,1020 were some of the most talked about sp(smartphone) on the market during that time. Whether or not Microsoft want to admit it was their own decision to give up when in fact they had a growing market with thanks to the Nokia team. Moving forward, the 1520 simply needed a refresh and would have been quite a nice threesome with the 950 and 950xl.

Hi All

Started with an HTC Surround Windows 7 Phone back in 2011, kept that for a few years, then upgraded to Nokia Lumia 920 Windows 8 Phone, Things I liked about Windows 7 and 8 Phones, no worries on viruses or malware, the smooth intergreation with my Desktop, Sadly had to switch to Android in December 2015 as got tired of not having apps that I needed. Do I miss Windows Phone yes, but they also didn't seem into promoting the platform, giving developers incentive to develop apps for the platform, or come out with decent new mobile phones

Back in 2006 subscribed after being a Tester of Windows Live OneCare for Microsoft, used that til 2009, which then was replaced by MSE while it detection rate was good at first, then not good, then started to get better again, feeling a little safer using Windows Defender lately as it's now tightly intergrated into Windows 8.1 and 10, so likely hood of them dropping it maybe less now.

Andromeda....DOA

@Jason ... PLEASE SET UP A "SURVEY" with both Are you upset that Satya Nadella is abandoning Windows Mobile?

How much have you or your company invested in Microsoft "mobile" over the last 5 years?

How likely are you to continue to believe and trust the Microsoft ecosystem"?

Any "survey experts" to SEND A STRONG MESSAGE to Satya Nadella - I will sign and,can get dozens of others just by myself.

I read once that it was estimated that over 100,000,000 (100 million) WINDOWS MOBILE PHONES have been sold over the life time of Windows Mobile.

At one time, several years,ago, I read that Gartner or a large research firm "projected" that Windows Mobile would PASS Apple for #2 !!!

I "personally" spent over $3,000 on Windows Phones and now it's all down the drain!!!

MICROSOFT=IBM.....Sent from my new note8 **** Windows

**** Nadella #BRINGBACKBILLGATES!!

I lost "faith" in Microsoft when they killed the Band. I moved to Android after sitting tight with Windows Phone/Mobile through the 920, 930 and 950XL being pulled along solely by promises of "things to come". 

Satya seems to have loyalty issues, with users, with developers and with Microsoft former employees.  It's great for all of us that Satya makes a sad during his Glorious Book Tour through the Clouds and feels sort of bad for leaving everyone in the lurch.   And Joe B, I think there was one thing you missed while you were trying everything to incent developers: committing to the platform and sticking with it.  As an end-user, I was frequently frustrated by the lack of a Windows Phone/Windows Mobile version for an app specialized to our industry.  I had a chance to speak with developers on many occasions to urge them to do the relatively little work it required to create a Windows compatible app.  Again and again, I ran into the same brick wall -- the developers had no confidence that Microsoft would continue to support the platform.  If they had demonstrated that resolve, maybe developers would have been more willing to feed an emerging market of users.  But what was the point while Microsoft was sending contrary and mixed signals all the long.  Satya was most culpable of undercutting those within Microsoft trying to keep it alive, as he would say negative things about the platform and then drag his feet in clarifying.   So all the while Joe B was tap-dancing away for dear life to keep it afloat, Satya was making a throat-slashing sign in the background.   

Microsoft is no longer the giant it used to be, and apparently is digging its own grave. Recent statements made by high executives confirm the rumors were true. Now the global perception about the company has reached the lowest level. It seems the company is desperately looking to draw the attention of the audience without a defined plan of action. The company has focused its efforts in the future of the cloud and 3D business based on other platforms like android and iOS, leaving behind its own platform and what is trending in today business. Since the launch of Windows 10 I thought the good times for Microsoft were about to come, and I increased my faith with the idea of a promised Universal Windows Platform running on every device, including smartphones. The app-gap seemed to be coming to an end with the acquisition of Xamarin as a magic tool to gain developers attention. The Windows Community is shocked by recent announcements, and I think Microsoft should be more concerned about our expectations. I don't know why they seem concerned about our comments in the Windows Phone Platform, but do nothing to fix  what we share. Microsoft must rethink its business looking for a leadership with strength in marketing to achieve strategic agreements that allow the company to recover its level of competition. They should consider knocking Nokia's door again to deal a place in their handsets. The worst enemy of Microsoft could be inside the company, and because of that is mandatory for all employees to be re-evaluated, to measure their degree of commitment with Microsoft's goals.

Microsoft has officially jumped the shark. This was the straw that broke the camel's back and I very much doubt they'll be relevant at all, in the consumer space, in a few years time.

Xbox will be spun off as a self governed entity and Windows/Office is already bordering on non relevant seeing as most people today, and I'm talking about real people, not you or me, get along just fine with an iPad or Android tablet. Students and even teachers have chromebooks, the developers once so important for Microsoft have fled already and are concentrating on iOS/Android/webapps where the users are.

Groove was shut down (and even though they say they'll refund you 120% of outstanding value they're refusing to honor this with me as I have unused codes that have apparently "expired"- codes are valid though and the T&C's mention nothing about an export date).

Movies and TV will be next. Disney's DMA contract already wasn't renewed.

The Windows store is full of *****.

Is he really a CEO ? I mean like... It was dead evident.

Ok, Jason.  What is Nadella going to do about this apparent lack of caring about consumers?  Can someone from WC actually get a quick interview with this CEO?  

It really is sad that Nadella were so short sighted.

When I was entrenched in the ecosystem, my phone and my pc worked so well together. I could use Cortana to set reminders, appointments, whatever on either my phone or PC, and my PC or phone would remind me. Cortana on WP was probably the best virtual assitant, rarely giving me any problems with what I needed. Windows Phone just worked, but with each release they took away more and more features and broke other ones.

Now I use a Pixel... it doesn't really talk with my PC. I only use Cortana as a quick launch for application on my PC. My phone and PC no longer communicate the way they used to. The launchers and Cortana they came out with on Android are nice, but they didn't even bother to properly integrate Cortana into the launcher. Google now has a year's worth of my use and it's assitant, while not as nice as Cortana, has customized itself to me.

As far as reaching out to developers, I was a hobby developer for WP starting with 8, I made a simple application using the built in components and methods that Microsoft recommended. Do you know what 8.1 brought for me? Almost a complete rewrite of my app because, even using the components and methods Microsoft recommended, they managed to change everything from user interface to file data access... the only thing that still worked was my core logic. About the time I got around to rewriting the app, since it worked just fine keeping it as an 8 app I took my time, 10 was coming out. I looked into that and once again it would require rewriting... and they wonder why, other than marketshare, developers stayed away... they couldn't provide stability. 

Also, I was a Band user and a Surface 2 RT user... MS has lost my trust as the only things that are actually still supported are my laptop and my Xbox (though they don't really do anything with the Kinect anymore).

Even though it looks really cool, I have a really hard time being sold on their mixed reality. I'll probably end up getting it elsewhere from someone that will actually support it. May also look into jumping to the Apple ecosystem because it all just works together like the Microsoft one used to.

I just know that I have very little faith or trust in Microsoft keeping their word anymore.

Yes. It's just business. I was mistaken to believe their vision and commitment to consumers went beyond that.

Oh well. It's a shame.

Finally, he admitted that he made a FUBAR!

I think abandoning Windows 10 mobile was a mistake, I realised when I was looking at the AR headsets they just released and I thought "...but maybe they will abandon it in a year or two...". When I had that thought I realised just how annoyed I am with Microsoft. Of course most people don't know about or use W10 M so they will not be feeling as I do. I use/have android and iOS devices and I have to say I prefer the 950. Android and iOS are clearly both better than they were, but I just prefer the layout and feel of W10 M. I am not sure what I will do next, part of me thinks "buy a 950XL or an X3... but they might ditch support in 6 months...". The only app I use, besides MS apps, is WhatsApp, if that went I would have to leave as I have family and friends all round the world and they all use WhatsApp.
I had hopped a small tablet running Windows on ARM, or even a Windows on ARM phone would appear, but the whole "Coming soon" thing has finally made even me skeptical (friends and colleagues call me a Windows Fanboy)and after Intel's threats I am even more doubtful.

Mobile phones are not phones. They are Personal Computers that happen to make phone calls. Most mobile phone carriers are bundling ever more minutes and texts in plans because people have moved to data. 

In the scenario where the mobile is the Personal Computer it is much more important than building a laptop, an ultra mobile PC, a PC anything in fact. If you are not making a mobile device then you are not creating the ecosystem for your services.

You can create the best AI on the planet but if it's not on a mobile device and can be used daily then it's not going to be used.

You can create the worlds finished machine learning but if you are not getting the input from people on the most used devices then it will gradually lose traction to the devices people do use.

You can create superb augmented reality but if people are using it on the device people have in their pocket you are lost.

If UWP really means, for the most part, a wrapper to distribute apps in a low quality store then UWP lacks any real point other than as a curated software respository.

Windowsphone was not about phone. It was about creating the other technologies can run so as those technologies mature people will have a platform to deliver those desirable technologies. Right now Microsoft's future technologies are orphaned. Payments is a good example. Mobile payment was the "next big thing" five years ago. Windowsphone never delivered Microsoft Pay but Google and Apple did deliver mobile payments and are exploiting a technology Microsoft have missed.

My view is Microsoft have missed the next wave because the platform they have is peripheral to the next wave. Having a mobile device would have kept them in the game. 

Microsoft, you used to plant the tree. Now all you do is to carve "Microsoft was here" in someone else's tree.

So long...

When my 950 dies or I'm clearly missing out on the coolest phone features, I'll move over to Google and say goodbye to one OneDrive etc.  Give me a call when you hit 51% anywhere consumer market based.... no not old desktops.

Even in AR and AI MS is posed to fail! Both Google and Apple have AR that people can use right now in their pockets! HoloLens is cool and all but its not in consumers hands. Android and iOS are, right now! Guess which is going to win mindshare and therefore developer attention? AI same story... Right now the average Joe might see AI as Siri, Google now, and Alexa. Again all available in people's pockets. Sure Cortana is available on the PC, but where is the Cortana IoT integration? Apple has HomeKit, Google something similar, Alexa also interfaces with a host of other services. Where is MS's answer to those? All of this is training the customer to realize more and more that they don't need Microsoft and their "ecosystem" anymore... How can he NOT see that!?!?!

I think one of the issues is secrecy.  I think MS does have plans for Mobile (probably in line with Zach's overall vision) but they don't like to show devices till they are ready.  Look at how both the Surface Book and the Surface Studio took the vast majority of sources by surprise and the Surface Laptop only leak the day or two before announcement.  Apple and Google leak like seives and MS know they keep their cache with the big reveals.  What they haven't done is clearly shonw "what comes next" in mobile.  They talk vaguely about "a new class of device" and demonstrate technologies that will underpin in (the demos of WoA on a SD830 running full windows), but I think they are too afraid of being "scooped" to give us a peek behind the curtain and that makes people think there isn't anything there.

Maybe we need Bill Gates to lead microsoft again.....I hate CEOs that try to show profit by downsizing rather than truly growng the business. Is this happening to please investors? Its shortsighted