If Microsoft cancels Surface Andromeda the effects could devastate its mobile future, even though there is a successful cross-platform mobile strategy at work.
Surface Family (Image credit: Microsoft)
Since 2015 I've championed an analysis that Microsoft was working on an inking-focused, pocket PC strategy that would follow its smartphone efforts. I stressed Windows-on-phone was part of a larger Windows-on-mobile strategy that transitioned through mobile OSes from Pocket PC to Windows 10 Mobile with the goal of bringing the full power of Windows to true pocket PCs.
That post-smartphone mobile strategy was confirmed by Microsoft's recently leaked email boasting a new and disruptive inking-focused pocket PC category heralded by Surface Andromeda. Rumors recently surfaced that it may be canceled, however.
Sadly, in an iPhone/Android phone-centric world Surface Andromeda's cancellation wouldn't even cause a ripple among the oblivious masses. For Microsoft enthusiasts and techies, however, reactions would range from dashed hopes to contemplative discourse. What would the cancellation of a long-awaited, first-party mobile device that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella promised would be an ultimate mobile device mean for Microsoft? Perhaps not much...perhaps.
In 2015 Microsoft retrenched from the smartphone space with the promise of making Windows phones if no one else did. That didn't happen. The last Lumia launched in 2016. Microsoft's lack of leadership led to OEM, developer, consumer and industry apathy toward Microsoft's mobile efforts and Universal Windows Platform (UWP).
With no smartphone to showcase its ecosystem Microsoft has aggressively executed a pervasive branding strategy by integrating its apps and services into iOS and Android. It's also making itself a cross-platform dev-box and making Microsoft Azure "the world's computer". Microsoft has succeeded in creating and maintaining "mobile" mindshare as consumers use Microsoft products like Office, Outlook, Microsoft Launcher, and dozens of other Microsoft apps on their smartphones. That trend shows no signs of slowing.
This Microsoft-on-mobile strategy, making iPhones and Android phones "Microsoft phones" to the extent each OS allows, is a component of the company's "Microsoft-everywhere" ubiquitous computing strategy. Additionally, Microsoft Graph, Cortana and the cloud, through features like Timeline, Your Phone and more, makes Windows PCs a hub that facilitates users experiences across devices. Microsoft arguably has a successful mobile strategy where the essence of its ecosystem — its apps and services — like a Ghost in a Shell persists in a body not its own. But is it enough?
Microsoft needs Surface Andromeda in the family
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An immature Windows Core OS, anemic app ecosystem and very niche market top the arguments against launching Surface Andromeda this year, if ever. The first two can arguably be addressed with dedication and time to fine-tune the OS and push Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and UWP, thus, requiring only a delay. A cancellation is being called for by those who see the device as too niche. But Surface is all about "niche."
Microsoft's Surface lineup is about a family of devices that work collaboratively across the cloud and UWP where each device specializes in a particular use case. No single Surface optimally "does it all." Thus, the device family should be perceived as a synergistic whole with "components", some super-niche like Surface Studio and Andromeda, that allow Microsoft (and partners) to address a range of use cases with a breadth of category-creating devices. This broad hardware strategy combined with ubiquitous computing and cross-platform mobile strategies is Microsoft's comprehensive approach to personal computing.
Still, if Microsoft doesn't fill the pocketable mobile device hole in its hardware line-up, the mobile-driven personal computing world that has spawned smart speakers and digital assistants, and inspires developers, consumers, and others will continue to ignore Microsoft's ecosystem-building attempts.
Microsoft's Surface Andromeda's target audience is lateral thinkers like researchers, educators, marketing managers and others who process their thoughts via notation before sharing collaboratively. Thus, even in the digital age, old-fashioned notebooks have a place in various industries. Surface Andromeda, working collaboratively with other Surface devices could be ideal in these niche industries. Even Surface creator Panos Panay still uses Surface Mini as a MoleSkine, and can therefore advocate for digital journal use cases.
Microsoft's HoloLens' methodic deployment to specific industries for targeted use cases is garnering developer and industry support for an expensive and niche new category. Microsoft can do the same with Surface Andromeda.
Your perspectives too binary. Its broader than no release or failure. It can be delayed while PWAs are built out over 2018 and/or MSFT can follow HoloLens strategy & strategically slow release #Andromeda in specific markets for targeted use cases to build dev/ecosystem support😉Your perspectives too binary. Its broader than no release or failure. It can be delayed while PWAs are built out over 2018 and/or MSFT can follow HoloLens strategy & strategically slow release #Andromeda in specific markets for targeted use cases to build dev/ecosystem support😉— Jason L Ward (@JLTechWord) July 6, 2018July 6, 2018
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Microsoft's Steelcase partnership, where Surface is integrated into modern collaborative environments, is another avenue through which Microsoft could deploy Surface Andromeda. Even internal deployment throughout its own teams to demonstrate how Andromeda works collaboratively with Surface devices and Microsoft services should happen. The company should then promote an aggressive campaign showcasing Surface Andromeda at work as part of Microsoft's personal computing vision.
Finally, Microsoft should build a sleek laptop-like dock, like the Razer Project Linda, to help frame this pocket PC as a capable "laptop" for comfortable stationary computing in addition to its mobility strengths. Since its a PC it should have the option of being packaged as one.
This would help downplay the unavoidable weakness of Microsoft's mobile ecosystem and also allow Microsoft to target users in the market for laptop experiences, while also providing innovative new mobile experiences when undocked as a phablet or unfolded as a tablet.
Microsoft must do all that it can to launch Surface Andromeda while aggressively building PWA and UWP support. If it doesn't, the industry will march on, and Microsoft may have yet another missed opportunity story to add to its smartphone, wearable, music, and digital assistant narratives.
Jason L Ward is a columnist at Windows Central. He provides unique big picture analysis of the complex world of Microsoft. Jason takes the small clues and gives you an insightful big picture perspective through storytelling that you won't find *anywhere* else. Seriously, this dude thinks outside the box. Follow him on Twitter at @JLTechWord. He's doing the "write" thing!
160 Comments
The Hub is the only niche Surface. Otherwise it is a few laptops and an all-in-one PC. These are the most popular PC form factors.
A ridiculously expensive two-in-one pc that can be lowered to an almost horizontal position for drawing is a niche product, even if it's basic premise is a common one...
Yeah, it has a optional niche use case, but at the end of the day it is just an AIO. It can sit on a desk like an iMac and be used as a standard PC.
"Niche" from Microsoft's perspective isn't about the idea. In the case of Surface Phone they are thinking about "who would buy this" as in "how many units sold", and that is the weakness of this argument.
As Jason pointed out here, there are a bunch of use cases for this device. But looking at number of units sold, both the Studio and the Laptop are "niche": even if the Studio is an AIO device, they aren't selling so many to justify the device's creation, unless it is meant to be a showcase only. Microsoft isn't an AIO creator. They don't need to be.
As I said before the Laptop has even fewer reasons to exist as it doesn't define a category and that category didn't even need a showcase. I don't get why "it's just a regular PC" is a good argument for Microsoft to get into hardware. There are dozens of PC models out there.
Looking at it like this, Surface Phone has legitimate reasons to exist. They will sell more than the Laptop and the Studio combined if they are marketed as ultra-mobile PCs for note-taking, capable of becoming full PCs, like the way Jason described. This device would have much more legitimacy to exist as it will actually suggest a new use case, despite what the Surface Laptop does.
Honestly, it is now clear to me that the ones who are suggesting the device get cancelled are not on the Surface team. They don't know what Surface is about, or if they do, they don't believe in the idea of the Surface line as a whole, and they are calling the shots.
Andromedia would be a perfect fit in the Surface line.
The cancellation rumors say it isn't capable of being a "full PC", that is why the ecosystem is lacking. Remember this isn't running WoA, it is Windows Core with legacy bits cut out.
Your comment suggests u know little...
Lol 😂
"The cancellation rumors say (...)"
Exactly, they are RUMORS, which means they don't necessarily convey the full picture, if at all. "Ecosystem lacking" could very well just mean that the so-called PWA revolution hasn't really come as strongly as Microsoft had imagined - a fact even PWA fanboy Paul Thurrott noticed in a recent article -, so they're pushing back a bit while they wait for more PWAs to come into the market.
Even with PWAs it will be another pocket device, but with a buggy OS and half baked mobile apps in form of PWAs, because no dev will ever bother again with MS after their WP/WM fiasco. No matter how much Rodney and George scream about, this device will fail monumentally if ever comes to market. The design is nice, I have to admit that, but should MS have had another CEO instead of a cost cloud obsessed imbecile, things may have been different.
> No dev will bother after their WP fiasco.
Correction, they didn't bother, that is why it's discontinued.
1. not Win PC (or you can say it's just something else with a Windows name on it).
2. late to the game with 0 user base and 0 dev base.
3. no devs no users, no users no devs loop.
Thx for sharing your line of thoughts
Depends on how you define "niche." The Surface Pro used to be my go-to recommendation for people wanting a good portable Windows PC. However, with the last two iterations, Microsoft has made price hikes and feature cuts that have made it so I only recommend the Surface when people want a portable PC with drawing capabilities. With the SP4, they raised the base price $100. With the "new Surface Pro," they raised the base price ANOTHER $100 (and I think higher models got even bigger bumps), then they removed the Surface Pen from the purchase and raised its standalone cost form $50 to $100. That is, in its last iteration, they raised the base price $200 to get the same thing as with the Surface Pro 4 (despite claiming they didn't call it a Surface Pro 5 because it didn't improve enough to warrant the moniker).
Surface Pro has become the "money is no object," niche laptop recommendation, in my book (the goofy hinge design of the Surface Book is too atypical for me to recommend for the standard user). You can get something VERY similar from Lenovo, Dell, ASUS, and possible Acer and HP, while spending a couple hundred less. You're paying for a brand more than anything, unless you're the rare user who makes meaningful use of the Surface Pen's superiority to the competing pens.
Then there's the Surface Laptop, which is "take the Surface, raise the price, and remove the convertable design." It's a complete waste of money and an affront to what the Surface Pro tried to do--redefine the mobile PC industry. It's the Macbook of PC in the worst ways, a device living in the past and trying to sell form over function. It certainly is a niche device, as I can say I've seen people express interest or admiration for the Surface Pro in everyday life, but the Surface Laptop is always a "what's that thing?" device. I then have to explain..."take the Surface Pro, make it not a tablet, make it less flexible and harder to use, then raise the price. There's the Surface Laptop."
2nd to comment...
https://youtu.be/ZNB-zUR-jU0
How 2 panels Starbuck PWA app on Andromeda would win over Starbuck PWA app on 1 panel mobile device...
Absolutely correct. Andromeda is the key to the future. MS HAS to get this right on day one, not version 3. From OEMs, eSims, competiting chip makers and a PWA/UWP future, the full PC experience in your pocket removes Windows as a desktop and Windows Mobile to just Windows. With the groundwork being laid over the last years like OneDrive backup sync in Office Apps, creating MS app relevance on mobile platforms and (finally) adding ink support to the Mail app, MS bit by bit is making Andromeda make sense. Too bad there are so much "apps or nothing" people out there.
The new "pocket pc" aka "Surface Mobile" aka Surface Pocketbook (I still like this name better) will fit in your pocket, have multi-app inking support, be always on, get 5g speeds, have day long (or better) battery life, will multitask and still perform better than the best smartphone and should be able to dock and provide a Continuum experience detecting the dock and switching to desktop mobile. Still can't wait!
I disagree; if the concept turns out to be sound, MS can afford to have a dodgy first and even second generation device, as long as they stick with it...
Nope. If it turns out that a two screen folding device is desirable (Axon M certainly didn't show that), then it would be simple to release an Android version. Samsung would have a dual screen Galaxy Note in no time. It would already have an ecosystem (Android apps even scale automatically to screen size), DeX, and Samsung hardware/name/marketing.
There isn't anything special Microsoft could bring, at least we haven't heard anything. Version 1 needs to be jaw dropping, cementing Microsoft's name into the form factor. Anything less will be steamrolled by the competition.
When the Samsung version comes out, Microsoft needs your grandmother asking you if that is a "Surface Phone". The same way she asked you if your Android was an iPhone.
If you were to talk about the Studio and the Laptop or the Hub you would have said the same thing: "it would need to be jaw dropping". None of them are THAT different from what we've had. Hub is a smart board. Studio is an AIO. Laptop is a laptop.
Andromedia is the more exciting one actually, and "Samsung hasn't done it so no one can" isn't a real argument against it.
That wasn't my argument. I am saying that a small dual screen device is awkward and wouldn't be a great experience. There is nothing stopping manufacturers from making them today, I am sure they all have prototypes. No way Samsung hasn't built a dual screen folding Note prototype.
Have you used an Axon M? I am sure the Surface Phone would be more refined, but it would still be just as awkward and pointless in real life. The hardware in the Axon M isn't even that bad, it just isn't a compelling form factor.
If Microsoft does somehow prove that it is a compelling form factor. It will take no time for the copycats to have similar devices available. Microsoft will have no room for mistakes, they need a home run.
A small, dual screen pc will be ackward and useless. And you know this... how? The Axon M is an android smartphone (and a pretty lousy one) with two separate displays; there are precious few reasons for a smartphone to have an expandable display, let alone two distinctly separate ones. Not so for a pocket pc...
Andromeda will also be running a mobile OS. It isn't running full Windows and it doesn't sound like it will have legacy software support.
Many can differentiates apple from orange but u can't... the more u try, the little u reveal u actually understand...
They will have to provide legacy support for any hope of success. Win32 support is the one thing that would offer a paradigm shift that could make this the phone companies would have to have. There are a huge number of desktop applications that never have and are unlikely to ever be ported to mobile apps, and those are at the core of many business processes. Being able to run desktop applications without needing a robust Internet connection (as required for remote clients) would absolutely revolutionalize my business. Continuum was a great teaser, but win32 is an absolute MUST HAVE!!!
It certainly sounds like it will have Win32 support through emulation.
Even reports of it not having Win32 simply suggest "at first", and updates would be under way to add legacy support.
https://www.windowslatest.com/2018/02/03/win32-apps-support-doubtful-sur...
It simply doesn't make sense for Microsoft to perfect Win32 emulation on ARM and not add it eventually to an ARM device
Also I remember Dan corrected you on this and suggested let the news come from them instead of you assuming it.
Dan didn't say one one or the other, he just said we don't know. MJF did and Tom Warren confirmed her report, especially the lack of ecosystem. They are more realistic, Dan is just a shill.
Your link also confirms legacy support is missing. That certainly makes it DoA. Are you going to trust Microsoft to ever implement it?
Neither Dan, MJF or Tom Warren have the full picture of Andromeda's delay nor they ever will. They're journalists, after all, not developers or engineers, and, as an IT professional, I can tell you that affects A LOT their understanding of the challenges involved in developing new hardware and software products.
From MJF:
"Andromeda or its successor could still end up coming to market at some point and attempt to fulfill Andromeda's original goal: A portable, multi-screen Windows-10-based device. But if that happens, expect something more akin to a small foldable PC type form factor rather than a phone-sized device, sources say. And something that will run Win32 apps, not just Univeral Windows Platform (UWP)/Microsoft Store ones."
Obviously corroborating the link I gave you earlier.
How is it that you're purposely spreading misinformation?
Win10 on Arm with Win32 emulation is based on OneCore. Both Polaris and Andromeda are based on CoreOS or WCOS. Support for Win32 is additional.
Reread that. She is saying that it will not be pocketable after they go back to the drawing board. The small pocketable version that didn't run legacy software is being canceled and they are going to make it much larger with dual tablet screens and legacy support.
Both WinOnARM of ACPC and Andromeda OS are likely to share very similar WinCoreOS but differ in CShell. Both OSs are expected to run on e.g. Snap1000..
Both are expected to support Win32 under emulation.. I believe..
Nope, re-read MJFs article about Andromeda or the one linked just above. It has been rumored for a while now to not include legacy support at launch. People just assume it has it because that is the only differentiator it could have.
That is probably why it is cancelled. No ecosystem, no killer feature, no point.
Perhaps others can comment... If so, Andromeda is closer to Polaris than WinOnARM...
A dual screen Samsung will just be a smartphone with two screens. Maybe more elegant than the Axon M, but essentially the same. A phone with an extra screen.
This MS device will arguably be a dual screen mini pc. When hooked up to a monitor it'll be a regular pc, with full Office and mouse + keyboard support; a completely new form factor. Even if it's quirky, it could define an entire new device category, that over a few years can be perfected by MS and OEMs.
My Galaxy S8 hooks up to a monitor with full keyboard and mouse support and full Linux. Andromeda is NOT full Windows. The cancellation rumor is based on it not having support for legacy software so the ecosystem is lacking.
Pls spend sometimes compares W10, WinOnARM, Andromeda OS, before argue futher.... U may learn something useful...
Learn what exactly? It is well rumored now that Andromeda doesn't have legacy support. That makes it less useful than Linux on Galaxy. Continuum is a nonstarter anyways. No one cares about that functionality, even when Samsung does it.
Once u figure out how Win10 IoT running on Snapdragon is different from full W10 running on ACPC and Andromeda..(also Snapdragon) . U will see the picture..
Again, Andromeda IS NOT RUNNING FULL WINDOWS. It is running Core OS. It has all the legacy stuff cut out. Have you not been reading about Core OS?
U are right... OneCore with Win32 emulation in Win10 on Arm vs WCOS in both Polaris and Andromeda without Win32 support.... However it could be added later....
Yeah, I don't think people realize that. Dan's description of the interface was interesting. I think it was Dan at least. They said the main screen was just a notepad. I assume you then swipe from different edges for the app drawer, settings, and notifications. That certainly sounds much different than what we are used to. I am surprised no one has made an Andromeda launcher for Android yet.
Axon M didn't make an impression because almost no one knew anything about the company. Microsoft and Surface are established brands. Panos Panay has established an admirable sense of design and engineering that supports both brands. I think the company needs to provide him with more testing resources to get QA higher, but otherwise, his products are good.
The use case is clear enough that I am surprised it raises issues. Computers and tablets are just too large for day-to-day mobile use, except when going desktop to desktop, and phones are too small for many purposes. Personally, Andromeda would replace both my phone and my tablet when I am away from the office - again with the sole exception of when I am setting up a desktop workspace in another office - and I would still have two free hands except when I am using it. I consider that valuable enough that I would pay the rumored $2,000 for it without much thought. I expect many other professionals would feel the same way.
Ironically, when Satya became CEO, his catchphrase was "Mobile First, Cloud First", which describes Andromeda perfectly. The new descriptions of "Intelligent Edge", etc., seem to have been to permit him to drop Windows Mobile and its devices.
Andromeda is the way back. It also is critical because it can give Microsoft a device in which they can build hooks to Azure, which I expect other vendors will do as they attempt to maintain margins in cloud services. Over the long run, if they drop Andromeda, they may lose the cloud wars. And then, doing layoffs, cutting R&D, and other tricks to make the company look good to investors will only work so long.
You could pick up an Axon M right in Best Buy and try it out. It was awkward and pointless. Having Windows on it wouldn't make a difference.
If the experience was that good, it would have caught on or at least shown some promise.
You are right - it has to impress at least like SP3 did, but more like iPhone.
Microsoft can't afford dodgy anything these days. Even a smash hit is going to be a relative flop because of the ill will they've created. The only way "they can afford a dodgy first generation" applies is if you mean they let Andromeda flop to flesh out Core OS and then hand over the hardware side to third-party OEMs. A mediocre Andromeda will finish off handheld phones/PCs from the Microsoft hardware division, for the extreme majority of users. It might kill it off within Microsoft entirely. Look how Kinect and Band ended up after two generations of dodgy devices, then consider Microsoft would be on its 5th mobile OS and third generation of internal mobile device hardware releases.
Just as they did with Surface. Not much success until Surface Pro 3 came along.
https://youtu.be/juA12hkDB5w
See 1:05 min..
How Microsoft tease Apple...
The same use case works with 2 panels Andromeda over iPad, iPhone, Android... without the baseball scout carrying a Surface 2 in 1 but travel light with a battery long lasting Andromeda out of his pocket...
In other words... once Microsoft releases Andromeda.. even without the perfection in Andromeda CShell, the bigger 2 panels screen estate is itself a strong valid justification... to reuse all the previous marketing advertising campaigns which made Surface 2in1 successful Except in this case a pocketable device that can flip into 2 in 1 in heartbeat..
Some of the best collection of pictures showcasing the potential of the device anywhere... including your own little picasso! And at the risk of not sounding my age, I have to say I *really* wanted one before I read your article, but now I *really really* want one. This device is indeed critical to the ecosystem. Hope MS pulls out all the stops to make this happen, and before any competitor steals their thunder! Thanks J!
https://www.change.org/p/all-the-people-who-would-buy-the-phone-show-mic...
Let us get to 15,000 by weekend...
Get back to us when it hits a million. Android sells at least that in a day, no reason they can't get that many people to just click their support. 15k is a laughable amount.
And your reason for posting this comment is...?
If you think it's in any way helping to promote your point of view or your status as someone to be taken seriously, you're badly mistaken.
It puts the 15k number into perspective. Android sells like 2 million devices per day. 15k signatures on a petition in a week is nothing in comparison. It shows how small demand would be.
I hope u actually finish your high school... and attempted to look for a job and then everywhere u try... u are asked to go home and back to university to finish double PhD before applying futher job....
Most people who finish high School would have understood the analogy.. I doubt u can...
There are many smart, experienced professional here... Many like myself is here to learn from others...
U know little but just shooting blank....
What analogy?
Sorry.. It was unnecessary...
You sound like an idiot with this comment, not to mention your horrible grammar.
He's right; you're wrong. Petitioning Microsoft is pointless when they aren't going to make any money or gain any favor in the market by *maybe* selling 15k units. Even putting together a petition with that small of a target shows there's no demand worth following...
I don't think ex mobile Microsoft fans (myself included) would care that much if these will never see the light of day. We all know by now how Microsoft excels at coming up with good ideas and failing miserably to deliver on them. Also their US first (and almost only) strategy when it comes to services, despite them having much greater success in the rest of the world with mobile devices.
I'm not willing to trust that they'll commit to supporting any new devices, and there is no way in hell I'll ever buy them, no matter how good they are. Not the first 2 generations anyway.
Good points, and some I'm REALLY hoping MS are taking seriously; they'll never achieve success otherwise.
After jumping all into Microsoft products the last several years coming from the Apple side, only to end up disappointed, I've begone my switch back to the Apple side. I'm so done with the Microsoft clown show. Even their services are getting deleted from my devices for others. Currently only OneNote and OneDrive are left and either of those I could drop anytime as well.
Keep it coming, Jason. MSFT needs to have a mobile presence in the 'real' pocketable PC way. But why? 'cause you know, Consumers. Mindshare and market share thrive with consumers, it's as simple as that. I try to believe MSFT has done its homework, they've worked their services into other platforms, they've made their mark. I see a lot of ppl using MSFT launcher and a lot more interested in Apps MSFT has to offer. To launch Andromeda out in the world would probably be the best thing they'll ever do.
Let's hope they do it and do it right. A strategic "HoloLens-like" approach would probably be the safest bet. It sets the appropriate expectations that its not a broadly available consumer product thus minimizing the impact of the "tradition of negative press" that follows Microsoft and anything mobile.
And it optimally progressively positions Andromeda in specific markets, for specific use cases giving it the best chance, in an uphill battle, to garner developer and industry support.
Microsoft should then optimize on successful use cases by aggressively promoting videos, case studies, testimonials, etc of its real life use in those various scenarios in hopes of creating more awareness, interest and support.
Sounds like the best idea.... Why do you think they wouldn't launch Andromeda?
If they don't launch I think they will be doing so based on the very binary choices of, not enough ecosystem support. I doubt "use case" issues would be a powerful enough deterrent since the years old project has gotten this far with a particular target audience in view UNLESS recent shifts have put decision-making power in the hands of individuals who disagree with the use case motivations that the previous leadership felt was a compelling enough reason to proceed.
If they don't launch I don't think they will have given a "HoloLens" approach, as I described, serious consideration. To me that is the safest bet, with minimal risk and the greatest chance of getting support. To me, that's the clearest route, but I'm not inside MS and don't know all the variables they're considering.
I do know hindsight is 20/20, and MS has had more than enough would'a, could'a, should'a moments where even to outsiders the course that should have been taken was clear. I hope they don't miss this chance due to internal politics.
Beat Rodney again. I'm getting good at this!
Damn!!!!! 😣😣😣😣😣😣😣😣
Where have I been!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Ms is dead as being the owner of any mindshare. They need a mobile hardware front for that. Them cancelling/delaying is already showing a lack of support internally. Of course that's going to bleed externally just as the Nokia purchase did. They done eff'd up again before they could eff up. They're too busy trying to find a way around a mountain they have to climb to reach the top. Just let the Andromeda dream go...and I'm saying this as a would be day 1 buyer.
Microsoft really needs a new ceo. A Della is great at cloud, but piss poor at everything else. They should move him to VP of cloud services, and some new ceo with a visionary attitude.
VP ... Vanishing point 👉... If only.
Wasn't that where he was? And as long as his decisions are yielding a profit for stake holders like they are, he's not going anywhere. Ms needs new upper management in general. They move too slow in the modern age to be a leader. The ONLY reason they're still a leader is because of a massive headstart. The body can't survive off of what you ate two weeks ago forever. We've seen Ms trimming fat and lose muscle mass fast. They better switch that snail diet up and stop having a reliance on tradition for nourishment before they wither away. But we know they won't thus bye Andromeda, bye ms
agreed Mister Burns. They are run by bean counters now. Not visionaries.
"Apathy" is a good word to describe my sentiments toward most things Microsoft nowadays, and by extension, this website. There's just nothing there to excite me.
This is not a purposefully negative statement or some ill-conceived anger toward Microsoft, just a statement of borne of self-realization.
It's all just pointless speculation until Microsoft actually does something. For Microsoft in particular, speculating about the potential for them to do something has proven to be a wasted exercise over the past few years.
And yet ... here you are.
Yes, here he is expressing his disappointment. What's your point?
I share that sentiment.
It can be super great, but you can't trust Nutella for his support. You can invest 1000 euro in this device and then be ****** in the *** when he thinks it's too much of a battle. That guy should never have killed mobile and killed Nokia. He hast no fighting attitude, he thinks in resets, and that's how you lose support from consumers and developers. If they release it this must commit and say that they will 100% support mobile for endless of years to come. If they don't, I'll give my money to companies who take their mobile business serious.
Andromeda would be the best mobile device on the planet, just like WP is still the best platform on the planet. Microsoft will always be on top, Zune is the best music service, Band is the best smartwatch ever, and HoloLens is the most popular VR set ever to come about. Everything MS touches is absolute gold. If I could get another 1520 through att it would be the best phone they have in 2018. Windows will always be the most relevant OS in history........
To top it all off,,, Cortana is total king of IOT for the foreseeable future.
..................
Go!
PSA for stay in school & don't start huffing glue kids. The more you know... ™️
Not a single thing you mentioned was successful as their competition was far superior. Even Windows is #3 in sales today when all computing platform are considered.
So damn easy.
I see what you did there. Ha ha ha.
Why'd ya do it, rodneyej?
Ha ha ha. You have to admit, that was classic. Like tossing a fishing line into a fish farm. 🍣
Penny_1.... Simple awnser. Troll bait. Lol
.....
Also, your comment is classic. "Why'd ya do it, Rodney?"😂😂😂
Giving MS major compliments is like committing murder around here.
"Why'd you do it, man?" Lol
"HoloLens is the most popular VR set ever to come about"
Well, that's just not true. The vast majority have never even heard of HoloLens, let alone tried it. What's more, many who like it probably haven't used it to experience the garbage FoV that would make it rather annoying to use (I fall into this camp). HoloLens is definitely the coolest, with respect to potential, but it's far from the most popular. It falls behind WMR, let alone Vive and Rift. Heck, it's probably far behind the mobile crap hardware like Oculus Go and the Google Daydream things.
Keith, You missed the entire point of that post.
Keith Wallace.... I'm just being facetious.
.....
But, that 1520 was a cool phone back in the day.. AND, every product I mentioned had great potential, if they were managed by a company that has nuts.
All the lumias were awesome. I owned most of them. My favorite was the 1020 though. The best peice of mobile hardware I ever owned. Thanks MS for ruining that for me. All you had to do was keep windows 10 mobile chugging along as it was. But axing it was the worst decision that ole nads made.
It has endless potential
Just not your style of being ironic...
It cannot be overstated how badly MS has screwed the pooch in mobile. They will be paying for these missteps long into the future in the consumer markets. If Cloud is all that they worey about, then maybe they don't care.
Fantastic article, Jason! Opportunity cost is too great to cancel Andromeda outright. There are already too many gravestones in Microsoft's "I Coulda been a Contender" Cemetery. I can understand delaying the release, but considering PWAs and how they can help lessen the app gap...they need to stick this one out and target 2019.
But, Microsoft would have to give it thier 100000%.
Agreed. They have their mom's spaghetti on their sweater already...they only have one shot to do this right. No buggy hardware. And if it's going to be featured as a note-taking or drawing device, it had better do it superbly (no diagonal line jitter issues that I've read about Surface Pro having).
I never heard "mon...spaghetti . on sweater"... Is this Italian saying?
https://youtu.be/_Yhyp-_hX2s
I think he is referencing this song.
Thx
The hardware is not the problem. The problem is their continuous mediocre windows 10 OS.
Wouldn't you be satisfied with a released product that they just kind of support? Like, they don't support Surface Studio a billion percent or whatever, but they keep making them & might do a refresh even though they hardly sell any. A folding tablet journal thing is ultra niche, even more the the Studio or Book. They're not going to create a 3rd mobile platform, why not hope for them to release this thing you want to piddle around with & call it good? Sell them for $1800 a pop, move a few hundred units a month. What's the big deal?
Thanks Viracocha👍🏿 Appreciate that.
No George, it’s an indirect quote from lose yourself by Eminem.
Thx..
Well written and thought out article, Jason! I agree with you. I only hope some higher-ups at Microsoft read it!
Thanks Nelman. Me too😉
Jason.. Do you ever actively try to make sure brass sees your editorials?
Jason.. Do you ever actively try to make sure upper management at MS sees your editorials?
I've gotten word that my peices have been passed around internally. Can't say a lot more but it's a good thing.😉
Since the device's form factor will require passive cooling in order to be "pocketable", I'd hope that a laptop dock would somehow be able to add more processing power to the device, so that it can compete with laptops when docked, and not be just another netbook.
Great idea! Dock with a fan or two!
I agree with Rodneyej.
WP was the best phone os on the planet.
So was Band, etc
I have a big question.
Why did MS "suddenly" decide to possibly kill Andromeda, even it even exists.
Something stinks with Microsoft's exit from the smartphone. It should have remained a focus with new leadership.
Have we been waiting for a super cool device, as a gradual let down from Phones?
Excellent article Jason.
🤷🏽🤷🏽🤷🏽
Feels like the site that went on about it the most, now has a bunch of writers working their way through the various stages of grief.
Many live through life without believing.... "Firefly"
The writers believe something worth fighting for... So do I and many here....
Are u bored or loss without purpose?
Are you kidding Jupast? This is actually a great time in the Microsoft Windows-on-mobile story. That leaked email 📧 was the closest to an official "public" acknowledgement of a strategy toward an inking-focused pocket PC that I've been writing about against a tide of negativity and as the successor to Windows-on-phone since 2015.
Many readers, during the height of Windows-on-phones troubles simply could not see beyond a phone-focused perspective no matter how I laid out Microsoft's strategy and articulated how the pieces were coming together for a plan that showed that a pocket PC was in the works.
I said many times that it could be canceled but reiterated that this is what was happening even before more concrete leaks like those that yielded the Andromeda name, Core OS, folding PC patents etc, that came later.
So no, not stages of grief. I'm glad that enthusiasts, critics and everyone in between can finally see what I've been saying for three years!
The conversation can now finally move beyond me laying out "this is what's happening" and critics responding with some version of "no that's impossible because look how bad Windows-on-phone fared."
Now, that many other sites where many readers have been gorging on "Microsoft's not working on anything mobile" stories have finally caught up with the true narrative I've been giving you, perhaps you'll begin to see more analytical pieces from them (perhaps not) talking about possible positioning, how MS may have been trying to prime the market for this device, etc like the ones I've been sharing with you, that takes the conversation beyond, "here this is what's happening", and brings in a broader context.
So again no, not stages of grief man. Perhaps, relief, that its clear to you all that the narrative of Microsoft's Windows-on-mobile strategy that I've given was in fact accurate, and that perhaps readers will be a little more discerning, about the sites that simply echo a popular narrative, that follows short term news, or events without putting things in a larger context or applying much analytical effort, in the pursuit of clicks.
I know my analysis went against the tide of what most writers were putting out there, but here we are, talking about Microsoft's inking focused pocket PC, that when I shared in 2015, 2016,2017 this was Microsoft's goal, other sites were equating Windows-on-phone with Windows-on-mobile, thus with Windows phones troubles, they told you Microsoft's not working on anything mobile beyond a phone. And some of you believed them. Shame on you.😉 Yet here we are.
It may or may not launch, as I've shared multiple times like the McLaren or Surface Mini, it can be canceled, but what you do have here is evidence that even if some of you can't see what I see, I'm not pulling my analysis from thin air. I have reasons for what I write.
And you may or may not agree with what Microsoft is/was doing in pursuing a Pocket PC. That's fine too, my goal was to share the "what", "why" and "how". If you want or don't want one, or feel others will or won't want one that's fine, but opinions either way are independent of what my primary goal was in pressing Microsoft's Windows-on-mobile post-smartphone pocket PC narrative, the "what", "why", and "how".
And, here we are.... I'd rather be sitting here wondering if, and when, they are gonna launch Andromeda, than sitting here wondering if Andromeda is even real. Welcome to level 2.
Exactly. It took so long for the rest of the industry, that was feeding readers "Microsoft isn't doing anything beyond phone" garbage, to get to the point that Microsoft was working on a pocket PC, it made my job to elevate the conversation harder.
Beware of sites that just repeat popular nonsense without giving any type of thoughtful analysis. Even if a site disagrees with another sites analysis, if it's thoughtful and supported, at least that shows effort and a legitimate perspective. Most sites just follow news bits and echo other sites and make sweeping generalizations of pieces of news or events ABSENT a broader context. And news hungry readers devour that stuff, which there is more of than legitimate thoughtful analysis, and end up confused believing stuff, like, Microsoft was not working on an inking focused Pocket PC. 😃 Then, I embrace the challenge of trying to detangle what readers have read elsewhere from thier minds while also trying to impart, to some resistant readers, "tools" to help them look beyond "the now", to see the bigger picture and how present, and past activity and various other variables are coming together toward a particular end goal. Some got it, others needed a leaked email. Either way, here we are.😉
I just hope it turns out better than the whole Wharton brooks thing Jason. I think even you got duped by them.
Not duped. If you follow the story from beginning to end the story wasn't focused on the device as I repeatedly shared. But on the unique story and journey (to my knowledge this has never happened before) of one man, who took it upon himself to build a device for an entire pool of passionate enthusiasts. **That** was the driving narrative of the story. And its very clear that's the focus in that several peices in that series never had a pic of or specs about the phone. But they focused on who Greg was, why he was doing what he was doing, how he got to where he did in the process, the challenges he faced and more as the process unfolded in virtual real-time.
As a site that covers Microsoft related news, that was a story that reflected the passion of a single enthusiast and the lengths he would go to, and money he would invest, to embrace Microsoft's vision and try (virtually single handedly) to make a device for Windows phone fans. Sadly. Despite the clarity of the "person-focused" narrative and the mission he embraced, many device focused readers, who rightfully want a device, want to know specs and where/when they could buy a device, could not see that type of story for what it was. They saw it through the "device-centric" eye rather than, "person-focused" perspective that was telling a unique story. I will say I could have been even more critical than the pros and cons I introduced even in my narrative. Still, my primary focus was relaying the journey to readers for something that was totally unique in the industry - one man trying to make a phone and ecosystem for a pool of passionate users.
Whether people agreed with his mission, or how he carried it out are another thing. I was telling the story.
The thing is with Wharton brooks, “they” never built a phone. They simply took an old Chinese based device and got their branding onto it. So, IMO, you were duped. The whole thing was a sham. I called that many times throughout your frequent articles about the sham company. If they were who they made themselves out to be, their website would not look like a 5 year old developed it.
Like I said, though Greg had a small team, he was a single fan, taking upon himself the challenge of using Microsoft's OEM portal, to apply to the company as an OEM and following all of the necessary steps to be recognized by Microsoft as such. He succeeded in that, got the necessary information, some guidance from the company, legal paperwork, ODM partners, etc.
So, no, it wasn't a sham. Just virtually a one-man show, with a six member team, who did most of the work himself. He, tried. But as I said, I followed the story of the man and his effort as he, a passionate fan attempted to bring Windows phones to Windows phone consumers. Now, I will say that he, like many other Microsoft OEM Windows phone partners, was in part a victim of poor support from Microsoft. Microsoft should have supported him and all of its partners far more aggressively.
In regards to his site, like many businesses, perhaps he could have gotten it professionaly done, rather than shouldering most of the burden of the many facets of the business on himself. Like I said, this is a unique story. One Windows phone fan, trying to bring a phone to all Windows phone fans.
Also I stress that he went through the process with Microsoft to be recognized as an OEM partner, reieved a list of device partners from Microsoft, and proceeded as a recognized partner by the company.
So again, I wasn't duped. Succeed or fail, I desired to chronicle this uniuqe story for readers as it unfolded to whatever end it would ultimately have. And that's what I did. :-)
Jason, I know what you were doing. I always love reading your takes on things whether I agree with them or have an opposing view. Their (W/B) supposed claim to fame, which was put on their site was they were a software development / web business. And had a passion for WP/M. If their website was any indication of what they could do for software development, and I do believe they said "premier software development", I, as a business owner, would just pass them by.
Almost there!
You are my favorite writer.
I think this is the first time I am disagreeing with Jason. While I am a Windows enthusiast, I will not buy this device if it is not transformative. I mean it has to do something that no other pocket device can do software wise. I couldn't care less about a diary journal and I don't want to carry around two devices just for the novelty of it. If Andromeda is not there yet, delay it.
I don't mind a brief delay, my contention is with 'cancelling'. As a matter of fact in January 2018 I wrote:
"Is early 2018 too early for a Surface phone (Andromeda)?":
https://m.windowscentral.com/game-changer-part-i-2017-or-even-early-2018-too-soon-surface-phone
I think the disconnect is the time limit you are putting on the delay. I would argue that there shouldn't be a time limit. Microsoft, or anyone else for that matter, will not get a second chance to make a first impression. I would even argue against crowdsourcing if it is not an all-in-one device. As soon as another tech journalist gets their hands on a Microsoft product that doesn't excel, they will negate it. As soon as that happens, that will be the lasting impression on readers and beginning influence on other tech bloggers. It wouldn't even matter if Microsoft was going to push a software patch for it to do more latter. So, there shouldn't be a time limit to get the first impression of the reentry right. So what if Samsung or Apple come out with a folding device, theirs wont be able to do half the things a "proper" Andromeda should do.
Uhh...the whole point of surface is to create something for all of their oem partners to copy.
I have to agree with bleached.
The Surface products aren't entirely (or even mostly) niche. The Surface Laptop is a … laptop. It's a direct, simple competitor to most ultrabooks.
The Surface Book is just a MacBook Pro competitor with some extra features and a removeable screen (although removing the screen for any extended period of time is a tough sell, since tablet mode is weak and the battery life of the clipboard alone is practically atrocious.
The Surface Pro is just a more portable laptop, at the expense of usability.
The Surface Studio is an all-in-one with a hinge and touchscreen (well, pen support, but that's not an entire unique feature).
There are niche use-cases, but the devices themselves are fairly universal. For example, I have the 15" Surface Book 2. For the most part, I love it, but I don't get nearly as much use out of its more niche features as some others might.
Surface products fit the bill of both Apple devices competitors and devices that CAN fill a niche use. The problem with Andromeda (from everything we've heard/seen so far) is that it pretty much HAS TO fill a niche use to be useful. There is no universal applicability for this thing (yet).
I absolutely love the idea, but I just don't see the usefulness of this, and I think Microsoft has shown they aren't capable of making this win the market over without support/help from all sorts of other developers. Big examples for me are things like music streaming apps. Microsoft had Groove, which could have been a great in-road for Andromeda (since Google doesn't seem keen on opening Play Music up to Windows and Apple is probably going to laugh at the idea of making a UWP for Apple Music). Instead of trying harder, Microsoft simply gave up on Groove... Spotify is obviously a great option, but only supporting one of the big 3 isn't going to be enough. Not having the simplest apps like YouTube is another issue. Sure, the browser version is usable (well... Not so much on Edge), but there's room for apps, whether they're PWAs or UWPs, and there just aren't enough apps yet.
I hope they wait until they have the OS down enough that people are willing to suffer through a short amount of growing pains and it ends up being a situation where app developers are pressured by their users to develop on the Microsoft Store, instead of Microsoft begging for app inclusion.
I have never used my Surfacebook long enough detached to see battery life of just the screen. Battery life is really good when it is attached though. I can easily get through a full 8 hour day.
I agree, but that just proves the point we're making here: The Surface Book isn't a "niche" device, it's an almost standard device that fulfills a niche role if it has to. I've used the clipboard by itself for a course I was taking, and it was terrible. It's great to use for hand-writing notes, looks and feels excellent, etc, but the battery life is terrible. Even after letting it charge far a one hour lunch break, I was forced to re-attach it to the base and sip juice from the base for the remainder of the day(s).
I love the SB2, but it's just a really neat high-end laptop with a particularly different feature. I'd just as happily take a Surface Laptop if it were reasonably lower price and included all the same hardware as the SB2 (mainly the GPU...).
That was one of the main reasons I passed on the surface book. I bought a dell 2 in 1 and iPad instead. No compromises. My tablet is a tablet and my computer is a computer.
Busytalk...
What kind of talk do you prefer?
With Surface Go [SG] released, Windows Central need to intensify Andromeda strategy...
1. SG will grow W10 users faster towards the 1 billions target
2. SG size sits between phone and laptop - mobility full W10 device.
3. SG with LTE will speed up monetization through PWA to Windows store - narrow App Gaps
4. SG confirms Microsoft continue strategy to expand/update surface lines - surface hub2 (bigger category) and Andromeda (smaller than SG category)
5. SG with W10S is best channel to introduce Polaris - a stepping stone to grow a W10 community that can be productive without legacy Win32 apps.
6. SG 6 to 9 months release prior to Andromeda nurture and lay ground for demand for even smaller form factor that is pocketable
7. SG is a stepping stone to roll out Andromeda
==> SG success, and eventual replacement of W10S with Polaris - minimize all risks associated with the release of Andromeda
==> SG success assures Microsoft has less reason to cancel Andromeda
==> SG provides WC the second wind needed to keep pushing Andromeda on behalf of the12,000 users who already signed up for the petition...
Microsoft doesn't have any balls to come to market. Samsung will come to market first with this product and it will sell like hotcakes Microsoft will lose out on yet another Market segment. As long as Satya Nadella is in charge Microsoft consumers' Market will suffer.# bring back Balmer
Folks When I heard that the Andromeda device was using an ARMS CPU. I got scared
because so far Windows 10on ARM CPU's has not worked too well on devices so far.
The quality of the software on the Andromeda device was one of the reasons they did
not bring it to the market. Andromeda I am told can work on devices with intel CPU's
but the device may not fit into pants pocket. I then hoped Microsoft would have
considered to build an Andromeda device modeled after the original one that had
2 -7 inch 4 by 3 screens like the Ipad Mini with Intel Core M3 fanless CPU's. this
device would run full Windows 10 Software and about all the Apps in the Windows
10 Microsoft store. This devices built in Cell phone would be a basic one with
only the Apps needed to send and receive a voice call. nothing fancy because
this device is a-PC folks NOT A SMART PHONE.. The built in Cell phone is just
a extra feature People might fine useful. Microsoft is no longer making smart phone.
this device does not need one. it just needs a plain Jane Cell phone it's app will
be the ones in the 10 Store. a blue tooth headset sold with the device give
a person easier use of the built in Cell phone This a Radical device but many
People would buy it on a world wide basis
Mobile for MS is already DEAD, so this device would not solve anything because it has NOTHING that we do not already have or need. Win32 apps on a 6" screen? :)) No thanks. You talk laptop experience. This is a pocket device that will need pocket/on the go functionality FIRST, meaning proper apps not junk PWAs. What sane user would ever replace a perfectly capable smartphone that has fullyworking native apps, with a device that has none and relies on half baked pwas?
MS is done in mobile, since that imbecile took over. They should stop trying to embarrass themselves even more than they already have, and forget about this another beta project that guinea pigs will buy to test their never ending buggy platform.
Users and devs have been burned enough by MS's pathetic behavior..don't expect anyone but desperate fans to ever even notice this thing.
Why does it concern YOU so much? You must be a desperate fan. You follow every article...... Explain yourself🤔
Why does it concern YOU so much? You must be a desperate hater. You follow every article...... Explain yourself🤔
I think PWAs lend themselves to a variety of app types. It will be a good start to get PWAs into the store. Hopefully more developers will follow with true UWP apps if Andromeda becomes a viable device.
I'm not doing the whole mobile is dead and always will be, or not, debate.
But, Win32 on 6" display, or rather a mobile phone sized device, that we can do. First off, even if they are build for desktop, not all Win32 apps are useless on a small display. Some scale rather well. But, you need to think about this differently and ask when you would need to be able to use Win32 apps.
Windows 10 mobile introduced Continuum, and even if it was a little lacking in it's initial form it gave us one important thing, a desktop when connecting the Device to a larger display. Windows 10 on ARM, or Core OS, extends on this and offers not only the Continuum lookalike desktop, but a full desktop. Working on a large display your Experience would be much like working on a ordinary computer.
Then consider the accessories that came With the HP Elite X3. A dock to connect to your large display, mouse, keyboard and so on you could use this Device as a desktop computer. Next up is the Laptop dock, pretty much a Laptop Powered by the phone to give the desktop Experience on the go. Being able to run Win32 Applications could be very convenient in these use scenarios. In addition, you could do all this With one single Device. You could have docks set up, and People could just drop in with their device, connect and work. No other computers needed as this device would be good enough for most tasks.
This is the strength of Windows mobile Devices, or rather, it could be.
And, regarding the burning part. Most users and devs have never been burned by MS pathetic behavior. Remember the 3% market share part? MS could pretty much attack the market with a clean slate if they convince the media.
Well said, Jason. Couldn't agree more.
Microsoft needs to carve a space in the mobile computing world, no matter how niche it is or how long it takes to catch on and find an audience.
Not being in mobile has hurt Windows 10 adoption terribly, and the cascading effect of that is fewer apps and less developer support.
And, frankly, building apps and services for other platforms is noble, but that is not going to give MS a true foothold in the future of mobile technology. Bottom line, you're never going to hear an iPhone user say "yeah, I use the outlook, office and one drive apps, so my iOS device is actually more like a windows phone..."
As we all know, the problem with being iced out of mobile goes beyond Windows 10 adoption and having a third eco-system to choose from. It's keeping Microsoft out of the mainstream AR/VR market. It's killing Cortana. It's driving developers away.
There's no doubt that Andromeda is risky, but it's up to Microsoft to take that risk and build a halo device that OEM's can get around and copy. If third parties sense that MS won't take a gamble on this, then they sure as hell won't.
Microsoft has literally nothing to lose by releasing this device in limited quantities and building up as demand ramps. It might cost them some cash, but they can afford to take this risk.
Yeah, if MS doesn't come first OEM'S are definitely out.
This. A very rational observation. If Microsoft miss out on the mobile space, it'll end in tears in a few years' time as the technology decision makers will only know Apple and Google. Microsoft will be some old system their dads used in 00's.
Unless of course, Microsoft want to devolve to another IBM. I don't know... What's IBM's share price after ditching consumer products?
Satya Nadella, Joe Belfiore, and the lot of them made the lofty guarantees and promises with UWP, Windows Mobile, Windows 10 Mobile, Band / Band 2, and junked them all within less than two years. So, well over $1600 of Microsoft hardware products, a sour taste in my mouth, and now I am on a Chromebook because I refuse to buy in to their "pie in the sky" fairy tale garbage any longer.
They need to follow through and make good on their word before I even consider a Microsoft products ever again.
This is what I don't get. At work, our stock ordering system uses handheld barcode scanners that have been running Windows Pocket PC for years. Even the new ones that are arriving are using Pocket PC. Why didn't Microsoft ever modify Windows Phone to run these embedded devices? At it stands, the Pocket PC touch interface is clunky and you usually need a stylus to interact with the inteface especially on smaller UI elements.
Microsoft could've retained the Windows Mobile moniker to differentiate these embedded versions as opposed to the consumer phone devices but leave the underlying OS essential the same and have it run WinRT/UWP apps. This would've put the OS into developers' hands that weren't necessarily writing consumer apps but rather line of business apps mated with a UWP/Windows 8 app on the desktop and tablets. At least that would've kept the platform in the minds of developers.
When Windows Phone first came out, I wondered where the Enterprise spin-off was.
I see heaps of these embedded scanners from signing for parcels to field techs using ruggedised scannerd for work.
They actually sort of did do that. Delta flight attendants used Windows phone terminals for years. They replaced them on the last year or two after windows phone was discontinued. NYC police officers were using a custom version as well, again replace after win phone failed. Once bitten, twice shy.
Thx for sharing... We now have Surface Go... Expect Andromeda Go to address your need in perhaps 2020...if lucky 2019 from OEM..
folks there is great interest in Microsoft making the Andromeda device but Windows
10 on Arms CPU's type used in andromeda has to be refined to make a good working
device. Folks Intel has made a Windows 10 small Tablet like device. they showed it at
Computex 2018 last month. Microsoft should team up with intel and make a "Courier"
sized Andromeda device. this version of an Andromeda device wont fit into a person's
pocket but would not have the Software problems current Windows 10 on ARMs CPU
devices have & would run full Windows Desktop PC Programs & the Apps in the Windows
10 Microsoft store. a built in cell phone in any Andromeda device should only have the
very basic API's needed to send and receive a voice call & a blue tooth headset should
be sold with the larger Andromeda device to access and use the built in Cell phone.
This is a very Radical device but it may be the only Andromeda device to operate well
One solution to the speculated problem(s).
Nothing is going to change till the liar in chief at the top, nutella leaves. Until then consumer section of msft for the better part is as good as dead. Very little real progress will be made. Don't be surprised if win 10 also goes through period of "retrenchment".
Most batters get 3 strikes. How many for nadella?
must have great battery life.
that is probably holding things up as far as a Windows based device
Microsoft would be absolutely right to abandon this effort. They have no mobile ecosystem of software and have abandoned all the product areas that define useful mobile devices. Tap and pay, maps (the maps app is legacy at best), mobile banking, music services, and much more.
The enthusiast community calls it the "Surface Phone". They want a phone. They will settle for something that has "telephony capability" but unless there is a market for a device with no apps that can take notes then it's not looking good.
In a different world where there had been a Lumia 960 with a 20mp camera and a Snapdragon 835 that had kept the apps ecosystem more stable. A rollout of tap to pay internationally with mobile banking. A great maps experience. Cortana fully functional across all markets as an advanced AI. Mobile Edge supporting PWA. In this scenario of a small number of millions of devices selling with perhaps only 1% or 2% of the market introducing a new mobile device with the Surface brand pinning the Lumia as a low-end device and new "Surface Phones" as premium productivity might have made some sense as a slow burn towards building credibility on mobile and keeping Microsoft evangelists onboard with cool products.
However, that alternative history didn't happen. This is mobile reboot number four from a position of 0% and 0 apps.
It's just another Surface PC with a pen hypothetically twisted into a sort of super-phone without apps. Upgrade the predicted Windows S into a full-blown version and use the programs.exe
Keeping a dying W10M business/ecosystem alive as a slow burner long enough for transition into Andromeda makes logical sense.
The question - how often in history a leader under democratic corporate environment is able to survive defending a failed experiment that lost billions...
Alternatively, wait for a more favorable condition to make a come back for the Surface phone. That condition is sooner than expected.. about 1 year from now...
the only time itll make sence to release a surfasurface phone is when all the apps are available for it. People even the die hard windows mobile 10 fans like me were treated badly and abandoned by microsft, im sure most are not like me and would return to windows mobile 10 if it had all the apps, i think most people would say no to microsft. Their none consumer aproach is a dieing aproach, they will be sucessfull in some areas but as time goes buy and reluctance on windows software vanashis so will the form of microsft we know today.
Fantastic speculations again. Preconditions and guesswork makes this hulking article yet another wonderful click-bait marvel.
This amazing talent makes me applaud. - Super! - Well done!
Well, sounds like MS is caving and developing an android based phone.
From Pocket PC, to Zune, to Phone, to Andromeda, and where are all these now? The question is, who's going to walk around with both a phone and a pocket pc, nada. The question is, what is andromeda going to need, that others cant and or dont? And how small can these things really be? I think a strong AR/VR/MR integration would be a good step. Honestly though that foldable concept dosnt really apeal to me, maybe more so in person but not so in pictures. And that mouse pad slap concept would be coo coo, i like the idea of a button less tablet style, no sensors other than wifi/bt and maybe gps, wireless charging, etc, should ms ditch andromeda, absolutely not, come on ms get ur fn head out of the fn box nd give me something new!!!
Hi Jason!
Still following and still finding your views interesting and sometimes eye-opening :)
You wrote something at the end, which I have a question about.
You suggest a compatible Andromeda "laptop-like dock".
Now to my question: Since rumors has it, that Andromeda runs the "Andromeda"-shell of Windows Core OS, and the future desktop shell "Polaris" is not expected any time soon, how do you imagine it to scale to a desktop environment :)?
apps apps apps, thats what a windows mobile phone needs as live tiles rules. i was forced to use a 830 this week due to s7 edge needing unlocked and porting number and wow, windows is so much better than android, live tiles rules, even their data settings feel simpler and whole. notifications coming to my desktop too lol, live tiles is so so good, live tile calender, live tile whats app, shame most of the other apps are gone or none existant.. Shame microsft sucks hard at bringing developers onboard the windows 10 eco system. I totally agree that we need a windows phone, hell if it had all the apps i use today, which it doiesnt, id not only buy a windows phone premium, id be suscribed to their onedrive, but no phone means no windows ecosystem. the last 2 years i have bought android phone, android tablets, shield and home and 2 fire sticks and only have a 2 windows destop computers left, to be fair consuming media is now on everything else but windows and only my gaming needs and some web browseing exists on windows. How many more years will it take till i no longer use a windows desktop?
I dont even use a microsft browser as of this year. maybe leting me open a new tab in edge to my choice of home page would have kept me there.
By the way microsft none of this is by choice, i use android because you dont have a phonre, you dont have the apps and you keep trying to forceing me away from my choices. I dont want to leave windows 10 at all its that microsft is forceing me too. I dont get their consumer stratagy at all.
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