Why HP remains committed to Windows 10 Mobile

HP Elite x3 with Lapdock (Image credit: Windows Central)

It's odd that with Windows 10 Mobile being dead, HP continues to support and invest in the OS with its Elite x3 line of devices. HP is working on a second generation of the Elite x3 and is continuing to support and update its current Elite x3 with new firmware, up-to-date recovery files, app updates and more. But why? Many people are unable to fathom HP's commitment to Windows 10 Mobile, so we thought we'd try and help explain.

It's important to understand that Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a platform for consumers, it's a platform for enterprise. This is something Microsoft has said themselves. HP's entire Windows 10 Mobile play is based around the fact that Windows 10 Mobile is an enterprise platform, and with the Elite x3 (and future Elite x3s), the company built a device specifically for that enterprise market. HP actually went out and asked its enterprise customers what they wanted from a mobile productivity workhorse, and the end result was an Elite x3 running Windows 10 Mobile.

Windows 10 Mobile's Continuum lets you switch your phone into either a laptop or desktop by simply docking it. You can take your entire productivity device with you in your pocket, rather than in a bag or leaving it at work in the case of a desktop. I know many of you think Continuum is still a gimmick, but with CShell, that all changes. Microsoft will be bringing the familiar desktop experience to phones via Continuum with CShell, including windowed apps, true multitasking, and a whole lot more. You can see an early build of CShell in the video above.

New Device Categories

As a result of Continuum, HP believes that there's a middle ground between bring your own device (BYOD) and PC productivity. As the name of the Elite x3 implies, HP has built a 3-in-1 device rather than a 2-in-1. It's a phone, that can be that BYOD laptop, and can also be a desktop. In short, there's a new category of devices here with Windows 10 Mobile. HP's very own Michael Park, who oversaw the development of the Elite x3, explained that in an interview with us a few months ago:

"We saw very clearly about two years ago that there was an opportunity for us to step in, and that's when we looked at the different OS types … we knew that if we just created another Android phone, we wouldn't be able to keep up with the likes of an iOS or Samsung … We built from the ground up, really thinking about 'how do we bring to life a productivity experience for mobile workers where mobility is the first priority?' And that's the breadth of the concept."

And before you claim "but enterprise needs win32," HP is aware of this and has built apps that get around the lack-of-Win32-support-on-a phone issue. The HP Workspace app, which businesses can sign up for and customize, allows the Elite x3 to run Win32 apps through a virtual machine, connected via remote desktop. We demoed this app not too long ago, showcasing what it can do when the Elite x3 is connected to Continuum.

Even so, Android is now at that point in which it too has a Continuum experience, and when docked to a desktop or laptop can be extended to a desktop-like experience. The problem with Android, however, is that it isn't Windows. Enterprise markets like Windows, a lot. This is also why the Elite x3 is a Windows 10 Mobile device rather than an Android device.

"You have the fastest adoption of Windows 10 happening in the commercial and enterprise right now of any Windows OS that's ever been in the past, and the ability to transcend the backend and leverage those investments that commercial IT is making in active directory, Azure AD, EDP, and Windows Intune, seamlessly with virtually zero cost, is a beautiful "do you want fries with that?" play with Windows Mobile with Windows 10."

There are many benefits of going with a Windows-powered device over an Android or an iOS one for enterprise markets. That may not ring true for consumers, but you've got to remember that HP isn't building or maintaining the Elite x3 for the consumer market, everything HP is doing here is for the enterprise. It's clear that for consumers, Windows 10 Mobile is dead, at least for now. But for enterprise (and for "prosumers"), Windows 10 Mobile is very much alive.

Hopefully, once Microsoft finally shows off CShell on Windows 10 Mobile in full, more of you will be able to understand why HP remains so committed to the platform. Perhaps we'll see Microsoft finally detail upcoming improvements to Windows 10 Mobile at its BUILD developer conference in May this year.

In the meantime, what do you think about HP's commitment to Windows 10 Mobile?

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter: @zacbowden.

237 Comments

Offtopic: Background on that HP please!
The revelation of the sources behind Dan's wallpapers remains to be ambiguous
I'm still looking for the painting background on the surface studio.
Yeah I've asked before and still want to find out where to get those awesome wallpapers 📱
Was thinking about the same thing :D But probably making something similary myself would be more realistic than to find that exact one
So I did just made it :D I'm gonna say close enough :) - https://i.imgur.com/dwx56GX.png And that's how it looks on the phone - https://i.imgur.com/Ru86L0q.png
Nice! But it needs more purple.....lol
the purple is from the tiles, just make the tiles less transparent and it will be more purple. In the screenshot I used light blue at 75%, just tried at 65% and it looks about the same as in the article
He never responds when asked about his wallpaper
Me too
to this day 2 things are obsulete 1. how to get that wallpaper 2. how to get purple live tile on windows central ( no it is not in settings and if it is its not working )
Look very similar to the one i downloaded with the wp mobile background application
Next article about HP will be about leaving the windows mobile platform
Why not enjoying now because it seems they actually care about the platform HP x3 is a good phone, maybe MS will step up on Windows 10 mobile updates and giving best device and more innovative like it's Surface line..
Lol
His comment is funny
Re: AKA jisto1215, AKA MrOptimism1215.1.
Cheers!
Or about you leaving the site :)
So, you received 40 downvotes because you said something that will happen for sure. I love this place.
This is how it works here Remmo....... Say something upbeat about Windows Phone and everyone goes 'Yay!' Say something downbeat and everyone goes 'Boo!!' No one here wants to admit that, as far as Windows Phone in the consumerspace is concerned, the game is up.
I'm pretty tempted to get a HP Elite x3, wish it was a little bit cheaper, then it'd be a no brainer.
keep your lumia 950xl a few more months maybe there will be SD835 windows phones
Yeah, in 2018...
Announcment only in Q4, 2018 if any
Why not an Idol 4S?
They don't support it that's why. It's in need of a firmware update and they just don't care. Just saying.
What firmware update does it need? Mine seems to work fine.
The camera speed and functionality could be upgraded via the firmware.
Mine just got updated...
the idol can it just not really advertied be a consumer face phone get dock/ or wireless and it ready to go
Doesn't get firmware updates
I am in the same boat with the price, rather stick to my 950 for a bit longer until the price is down
It is a backup for my L950XL before Surface Phone (cellular PC?) arrives. I'm really sold on the rumored foldable screens. Whichever phone comes with that will be my next phone.
@Yangstax, maybe the courier tablet is finally being thawed out of cryostasis?
Time will tell :).
Same here. I have a 950, but I think it would be better to just sit and wait for the next generation of "mobile" Windows devices.
Same here. I reeally like x3 and looking at the available offers every day. I am even considering contract to spread the cost...
W10M is dead. If there will be phone with windows in future, it will be windows 10 origin, no mobile version anymore.
U are again confusing dead with under developement... Yes a new one will be with windows full blown, but we are still here and if i have a look at all the updates i receive on a daily basis on my windows store account: That is anything but dead.
Actually confusing dead with irrelevant. 0% market share. No one cares if it's dead or not except for the few thousand people still using it.
You are horribly bad at math. You need to go back to primary school.
Well, the last figures that came out had the OS at 0.3% of market share, which is within the rounding/margin of error of the latest numbers. So the users base is around zero, but obviously some people are still using it. If you want to go even further, the last data I saw (which may be somewhat dated) had the HP X3 as the 17th most popular windows phone in use. That would equate to what, maybe a few thousand units in the wild? While the X3 was announced over a year ago, beyond a few articles claiming that multiple companies were "piloting" it, there don't seem to be any articles published claiming any company of significant size has adopted the phone/platform/technology.
DEAD is past tense which implies that the platform is no longer officially supported or updated by the OEM. Windows 10 Mobile, while it does have a pathetic 0.3% market share is still being updated by Microsoft, which means the platform is not DEAD. Dying is the correcting word to use.
Dying? Maybe. Can't really go lower than 0% share. Irrelevant is where the platform is at now. It'll be interesting to see how much longer MS continues supporting the mobile platform.
Re: AKA "bub78" or AKA "statistics78":
Statistics are what dishonest people (or people with "an opinion") "use" to misrepresent the truth.
Please, check your math.
Best Wishes
The problem with those figures are they are consumer certainly in Europe the Enterprise Market figures in early 2016 anyway were; iOS 29% Windows 28% Android 22% Blackberry 16% Other 5% i've not seen the latest figures or where to gain these from (The above came from a technology roadshop with a major Mobile Service Provider) Certainly the X3 is doing well in Germany with the Police taking the handset with over 1200 devices. The UK had a massive influx of handsets to the public sector when Microsoft announced the EOL dates for the 950 and 650's with no replacements 9,000 units in the channel were snapped up over 2 months, again mainly with the public sector. Mid priced handsets are needed to keep this alive in the Enterprise what businesses can afford the pricetag of the X3?
@bub78 ...... What I can't figure out is this. People like you keep pronouncing it dead. Why (if it is dead) do you feel you must tell everyone? My theory is that you're really worried that it is not and it will rise up and eat what ever phone or OS you're using. It is penis envy. You don't have enough air to change my mind on what phone or OS to use by telling me over and over again that Window phones are dead. It isn't because in my reality I am still using it and it is still working for me. So relax and go (to whatever site supports the phone you use) tell the others how great that phone is because we here already know.
If you scroll up a bit you'll see that I said the OS is irrelevant, not dead. Somehow youve managed to get to the heart of the matter, I do lay in bed awake at night terrified about phone OS market share. When the mobile phone OS uprising happens I wonder how we'll all cope with the repercussions? Seriously though, I prefer the windows phone OS, mainly for the gui and ease of use. I think it's unfortunate that MS has bungled and failed at every opportunity to make the platform succeed, but it is what it is.
That 0.3% is new sales, not current user base.
Are you people unable to comprehend what you just read? Here you are again, speaking of "market share". What part of ENTERPRISE do you not understand? They're no longer competing in the consumer "market". Ya follow now?
W10m has supposedly been dead since it arrived, right?
Windows 10 Mobile is Windows 10.
If only I can use it on Verizon I would buy!
That is soon coming to an end. Next year you will not need a sim card. Your phone will have a sim that let's you connect to any carriers
Eh? But what about radios?
It won't be an issue just like the Verizon iPhones, Nexus 5x/6P, Pixels. Those phones have both CDMA and GSM radios built in.
Radios aren't the issue. The Elite certainly has Verizon radios, they are just deactivated.Verizon still needs to play nice.
I like their idea and momentum but my problem is how long can they stay with a mobile platform that has no love from it's makers? I understand we do get updates and all that but those are half-baked and even less than what is being pushed for pc. If microsoft is considering the os dead, hp will never gain no matter what they do.
Microsoft doesn't consider anything. "dead"
So its okay to keep beating the horse?
Zune?
If you know that the OS is dead then would the highly paid execs in HP not know it? Dude you aren't that smart man that nobody else has picked up what you have. I think there is a lot cooking between MS and HP. I think Windows Phone is not dead. The 32 version might just go away and the next version might just be a arm64.. wow!!!
Explain one single benefit of a 64 bit ARM chip phone running Windows....
Slightly better performance
Vs 32 bit ARM? Ability to address more memory. Vs x86? Battery life. Need more ?
you know that the OS is dead then would the highly paid execs in HP not know it? We're talking about HP here. HP has only slightly more clue than IBM (which isn't saying much).
They said last year they wouldn't put much effort into mobile, but this year they would, so let's see if that's true before we claim the platform is getting "no love from its makers".
I've got a 950xl and I'm fine with this until they get the version which can run Win32 apps with the Snapdragon 835.
What I'd like to find is a kind of lapdock similar to the hp one for the x3, but cheaper and with an actual physical connection, not a wireless one. Wireless docking adds too much latency between action and reaction on screen.
So you want a cheaper lapdock, since you can plug the USB C cable into the side of the dock to have wired on that one.
I'm very curious to know what Win32 apps you'd like to run on your phone.
With USB-C cable you could have this with any laptop maybe, or with any 2in1 device. You could buy one for 200 bugs. Since Windows 10 AU one can use a laptop as a lapdock: to use its screan, and to use its peripherals (keyboard, etc.). I tried to connect my Lumia 730 wirelessly to my Lenovo Miix, and it worked great, though with Lumia 650 it was laggish. I only wasn't able to use it's keyboard, nor mouse, nor touchpad, nor touchscreen. I should have been able to use those if my phone had Continuum. I hope Microsoft will enable that in future for non-Continuum devices too, as what I was able to do was projecting the screen. Not entirely sure what are all the things one couldn't do with a lapdock, and not to do with a laptop like this? I'm sure there are some stuff like that...
I use a Lumia 730 as my primary device and will be switching to another Windows 10 Mobile device with Continnum support. May not be a HP Elite x3 because I can't afford but I will definitely buy a Lumia 950. Even though someone tells me that Windows 10 Mobile is dead I will still rely on it.
You should.
950xl is good 😁
I have the XL and the specs are really good, and the camera is awesome, as is the screen, but I find the build quality to be poor and I've also gotten a replacement phone once already and may have to get this one replaced also for the same reason. The screen doesn't always come back on right away after unlocking it. Sometimes I have to wait five seconds or more. It happened to my original XL and now it's started happening with this one too. I'm thinking of getting the Alcatel Idol for the interim until the Surface phone comes out.
You could go with the Lumia 650 like I did and be very happy. Same specs more options.
i'd wait until after hearing build and release of the creator's update
Good choice 😁 I'm also planning to buy an XL in october, when the two year contract for my 535 ends.They're dirt cheap now 😁 The 535 is still pretty much usable, but I feel it's definitely aging now, and the 8 GB internal storage is just not enough anymore. Nowadays, I'm using my corporate 650 way more anyway, because it's better, and has unlimited call and text with 10 GB LTE for free 😀 But I still love my orange 535 ☺ But 3 Lumias are even better than two, and I want a flagship 😀
So my question is, when W10 mobile goes full enterprise, will individual legacy fans like us get a chance/outlet to buy one ourselves and use with no enterprise backing?
You have to wait until fall when the new SD835 x3 shows up with the release of RS3. For individual user, you can't rely on virtual machine. But the W10 on ARM supported by RS3 will let you run legacy apps in emulation mode.
RS3 is W10 on ARM? source?
https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-is-planning-to-bring-x86-emulation-for...
Man, I've always wanted to run legacy apps through an emulator on my phone....
I can't tell if you are being funny, or serious...
You'll always be able to buy from microsoftstore.com.
I'm sure the surface team is going to come with a bang. and then HP will succeed. Just like the surface line is now benefiting the whole windows ecosystem for all OEMs
As much as your comment just sounds like "fanboyism", I actually believe your statement will be proven correct.
Great article! It seems like HP understands and values what teamwork brings to offering solutions that will work for their customers. I give them props for doing so much for the Elite x3.
Great hp is hanging in there where MS is not. Even on MS its own websites they only talk about hoe good their products work with iOS and android, good luck finding a reference to windows mobile. I'm afraid HP may end up as disappointed as most of us with MS. After all Nadella is more committed to Apple than to HP. Yeah HP! If they achieve success with X3 they may end up being the savior of our mobile OS.
HP is working closely with Microsoft. Microsoft is a software company. HP is a hardware company. Why would Microsoft want to step on a partner? Really?
Why would they? Because they do it all the time, why do you think hardly any oems released windows phones the last five years? They have all been burned by MS at one time or another. HP could be next.
I disagree with the concept of "not for consumers". It's not 2008 anymore with "iPhones are toys, Blackberries are tools." Why can't Windows appeal to both? The lines have been blurred. Is the iPhone only a consumer device even though it runs office and has been widely adopted in the professional world?
Amen
Yes, you use it at work and you are more likely to use it at home. What Apple did, but they kind of have got so lazy and greedy they look at us as a big *** to suck off of.
It's because apps that children use is driving sales on the consumer side, but of no use at all in business. Snapchat, Instagram, etc
Yes, Apple took one kind of philosophy that made them money very quick but didn't do anything for the community at large. Now that people have grown and understand that Apple is not the center of the universe things will change. Even Coke and Pepsi finally understood that it was better to work with their companion than to fight. Apple doesn't seem to understand that yet. We live in the same world and if we are just fighting against each other we will never win. Selfishness just leaves us alone.
People understand that Apple isn't the center of the universe? Since when? Did you not see their sales last quarter?!
You can disagree all you like, Microsoft has openly stated that Windows 10 Mobile is now focused for Enterprise markets, and they're doing nothing to help out the consumer side of things for Mobile. I'm not just saying that because it's what I think, it's literally what Microsoft has said is the current plan for Windows 10 Mobile. Will that change in the future? Maybe. But I don't have a time machine so I can't say for sure.
It's rather the other way around; few companies will choose a business-only phone for it's employees, and risk the ice/indifference of said employees...
"Why can't Windows appeal to both?" Unless and until developers bring modern apps to the platform, it can't "appeal to both".
I understand HP's interest in windows mobile. I am more surprised at Microsoft's
Great to hear their committment. For HP it is a gamble, but the list of competitors in this market is rather small so if they can make it take off they are in place to make a nice chunk of change! Hope for their success. Every positive step towards mobile brings it closer to being usable.
"It's important to understand that Windows 10 Mobile is not a platform for consumers, it's a platform for enterprise. " This is so false. It's not that Win10 Mobile is NOT a platform for consumers as much as the consumer space is already saturated with iPhone/Android. At this point, even though it IS as good of a consumer device as any other, they simply can't bust into the market well enough because they don't have enough developers writing apps for it that consumers want to see.
Wrong. Microsoft has switched tracks and is now developing Windows 10 Mobile for the Enterprise market, not for consumers. That's why Microsoft killed Lumia, as Lumia is a consumer brand and Windows 10 Mobile is not for consumers. The Surface Phone, whenever that shows up, will be appealing to the same audience as the new BlackBerry does. It will not be competing alongside the iPhone. That's not to say that consumers can't adopt the platform, and if the Surface Phone is done right, normal people will want a piece of the cake. But you can't argue the fact that "right now", Microsoft has positioned W10M as a platform for Enterprise, not for consumers.
I disagree with that
Sure :)
I only really want to see win32 on my 950XL :P (autocad/photoshop/illustrator reasons). I use continuum everyday and boy is it impressive.
They already tried marketing for the consumers with the lumia line and it failed. They have to change things up and we know that the enterprise market is one of the biggest strengths of microsoft. Will this translate into bigger W10M market share in the future? We don't know. But the point is that this is merely a marketing switch and doesn't mean that they are abandoning the consumer market. Think of the less competitive enterprise market as their entrypoint to the competitive consumer market. more market share = win-win for both consumers and enterprise users.
The iPhone is used by enterprise more than any other device, so how can you say Surface phone won't be competing against it? You make a lot of statements that are patently false.
What was implied is that Surface Phone won't compete against Apple in the consumer market. And there will be competition in the enterprise sector, they aren't exactly comparable because Win10Mobile will be presented as company phones and BYOD both. One of the real world examples is the barcode scanner for the elite x3 - that automatically reduces the need to have a bunch of separate devices, one device to handle multiple activities. An iPhone can not do that. Hence the statement that the Surface Phone won't compete against iPhone. I understand your statement and do agree that there will always be competition between the two, but just because you don't agree with someone's statement calling them false without facts is petty
You think there are not bar code scanners for the iPhone?! I am sure they have been available for years. I was in a shop that checked me out using one that also had a card reader!
But, have an iphone continium?
who the F needs that crap anyway? continuum...lol, it has been around for so long an still is hasn't got any momentum...good concept poorly made by MS
Please tell us what Apple has "developed" besides a dumbed down versions of others for the mass consumption of dumb downed consumers.
...
Now, if we could just get Nadella interested.
He's busy signing his book.
I worry that Nadella is also busy, implementing a "corporate raider" strategy to get rich. It looks like it's working.
"It's important to understand that Windows 10 Mobile is not a platform for consumers"? Oh really? Now you say that because Windows 10 Mobile is not even a blip on the consumer market. But back when MS pivoted from Windows 8 to Windows 10 Mobile (after innumerable pivots) , I did not hear you guys say that.... This is just matching your story to what the reality is now - this is not analysis.
Exactly!! There was a company (with a weird name based on a black-colored berry) that used to be popular among consumers, but when those consumers moved to a different platform, they said their OS was not for consumers, but for enterprises. Then enterprises also moved somewhere else, and now the once omnipresent mobile platform is not even for walking deads.
Blackberry was always an enterprise device first, providing security and encryption features no one could match back then. Plus its BBM servers and backup systems. It gained consumer popularity later on. Like Symbian/Nokia they did not evolve fast enough, which led to their downfall.
Oh, this article isn't trying to sell you a lie. We're well aware that Microsoft's switch to focus on Enterprise for W10M is a result of the platform failing in the consumer market, otherwise they would never have switched to Enterprise focus in the first place.
And that is where it's at. Why? Because we are all slaves to the system. The system "they" tell us we need to be apart of the system. Let's have a little more choice. Two is not enough for me.
Same. I'm no Enterprise and W10M is perfect for me.
"It's important to understand that Windows 10 Mobile is not a platform for consumers" - Please understand that some people live happier while lying to themselves.
Lying about what? :P
He's trying to say that some of us consumers use it too, and it would be good to just have a phone that does it all.
If you don't care about a broad array of apps, it's a fine platform. If you do, then it's DOA. This from on of the former Win10Mo faithful that ran out of patience and reluctantly moved to Android. If they could crack the app gap, I'd be back in a heartbeat.
Re: Rui Gomes1,
May I ask, can you clarify what you are saying?
Best Wishes
"WM is for business" is an excuse to justify the lack of apps, is an excuse to justify the lack overall quality of the OS (specially at launch), is and excuse to justify the lack of hardware in the stores. This argument help people to lie themselves about the reality of the platform.
It's NOT an "excuse", bud. MS has at this point made a business decision to abandon the consumer space. That's not an "excuse". It's smart business given their reality. They don't have the apps and they're unable to get developers to build them. So focusing on the enterprise space, given their dominance there makes perfect sense.
Ok you just made my point. Where is the WM dominance in the business space? Where are the devices? Where are the business apps? Business man does more than calls and messages.
"Business man does more than calls and messages." LOL, you're actually making my point with this comment. It's way too early to come to conclusions about their position in the enterprise given the constant evolution that is going on right now in that space. As for apps, let's wait and see how the "cellular PC" plays out. The apps in that case may in large part be what they have today - their modern apps including the Office suite, new UWP apps, plus the bevy of Win32 desktop apps that exist today. Only time will tell. Windows Mobile 10 as a separate OS is likely on the way out, but this hardly means that they're abandoning mobile space or making excuses about it.
The article made an attempt to explain the current status, they did not claim to have analyzed and reached a conclusion. The article literally says that Microsoft stated that they are shifting focus to enterprise. Did you read the article?
Former Palm Pre devices owner here.....still hurting from the pain HP inflicted on the beloved Pre device owners but i remain hopeful that they have learnt lessons and am glad they are pioneering with some really great hardware for the platform.
Comes to my mind when HP was committed to support webOS. Sounds familiar?
So if HP did the research, and the market wants this device, since it's been out a while why haven't we seen a growth spike in the OSs market share?
Because HP was never expecting to sell millions of the Elite x3. They have their own internal projections for how they expect the Elite x3 to do, and it appears it has done well enough "for them" to warrant a successor.
Yes, very right. You pick a target and aim well you hit your mark. Too bad Apple aimed for fools with money.
What a silly comment! Microsoft aimed for the same people. They just missed by a mile and refuse to change.
I'm happy to hear about the HP commitment to Windows Mobile. The Elite x3 is a great cellphone. Between that and my Surface Pro 4 I've eliminated all of my other computers, desktop, laptop, & iPad. The future will be interesting. My only gripe is that I wish there were more quality accessories for the Elite x3. The choices are grim.
You must have simple computer needs! My SP3 could never replace my desktop, let alone some phone! Maybe Chromebook would work well for you!
Since 90%+ of people don't do photoshop, video editing or solid modeling, a Chromebook would work well for most people. I'm assuming that Wheels is talking about home computing. Since most people do not sit down at a PC or pick up a laptop at home, they get what they need from a smart phone and nothing more. Personally, I need a more powerful PC for gaming, a SP3 (or a 2-in-1) to work, shop, research and surf around the house, and a smart phone. With life being very busy, the gaming has been put asside, so a more powerful PC has become trivial. At work is another story.
Exactly my devices and usage. I wouldn't have the SP3 though if I didn't need it for work.
hp is snuggling up to microsoft because they want to be first in line when windows 10 for arm drops for phones. for microsoft that feature alone isn't special enough to warrant a surface branded phone, since 'surface has always been about more'. so hp is the one going to be making a flagship device for w10arm towards launch, while microsoft - for the surface phone - will wait for the engineering to catch up to their foldable dual screen concept that they patented a while back
Why will WoA phones be successful? What meaningful change would it bring from previous Windows phones?
Sooo since you said Zac that hopfully well see Cshell at build on mobile your impling that windows clowd will be the new platform for windows phones??? I hope not.
He's not saying that at all.
well if you also watched the podcast 39 he said hed rather have windows phone like windows clowd (wich is basically windows phone now just a browser). Ive said it before how windows phone has turned into a chromebook where all you can do is surf the web. Most sites like amazon and ebay have to be pinned to your start screen because theres no app and doing that makes live tiles pointless.
Why do you have to hold Zac up to god like status? Who are you to judge Zac? Please give us a full resume listing all your life accomplishment.
Sheeesh sorry if you feel like that.... I was just making an observation of what Zac said in his podcast and in this article... He knows more then we do i was proding him a little for some inside info. Some of us are hoping for a pocket pc and it's looking less and less. Funny I read other where Apple fans praise the direction Ms is heading so I get hope then I come here and get disappointed again.
Windows Cloud is full Win32, it just won't allow non-store installations. It will allow installation of Win32 apps that are on the Microsoft store. Zac just mentioned his preference, Windows Mobile and Cloud are not the same by a long shot.
I guess you haven't had a chance to read/hear all the info on CShell. Its a Composable Shell that will be applied to Windows 10 (including Mobile) wherein all the different iterations of the OS can adapt to different display sizes and user scenarios. For example, CShell for W10M will display the OS as a mobile interface on phone, but as a desktop interface via continuum. Similarly CShell will allow for the change between desktop and tablet interface on Windows 10 full. And, it is speculated that CShell in the future will also display Windows 10 the whole OS as a mobile interface on ARM phone, and adapt to tablet/desktop interfaces as and when necessary. CShell is global to the Windows 10 ecosystem. Windows Cloud is just an iteration of Windows 10, made to compete with Chromebooks in the education segment and cheap laptops, and will have CShell as a part of it. Windows Cloud, as per sources stated on this site, is a Win32 OS, and it is not the same as Windows 10 Mobile or Windows 10 on ARM
I actually enjoy using my 950 with a MSFT dock for Continuum. I don't use it over my laptop all the time but for many simple and quick tasks, sure. Continuum is in desperate need of CShell for it to be taken seriously however.
It will still be pointless. PC hardware is cheap and the cloud makes your data ubiquitous. What is the point of carrying around a lapdock and phone, especially when the experience is sub-par on both devices?
"Windows 10 Mobile is not a platform for consumers, it's a platform for enterprise" <----- fewer and fewer companies care about Windows 10 Mobile as a platform for the enterprise. It is all about BYOD and consumers aren't bring Windows 10 Mobile devices, they're bringing Apple and Android.
Zac is uninformed. Enterprises have a constellation of applications outside the MS ecosystem (SalesForce, UCaaS, ERP, etc) that simply don't work on W10M. An IT leader would be laughed out of a room (or fired) asking/telling a user to use W10M over iOS/Android.
You're right for the most part, but applications of Windows 10 Mobile via the elite x3 are way different from what iPhone/Android do. Enterprise is not all about office/corporate environments. Case in point, the barcode scanner jacket for the elite x3 - shipping, retail, warehousing, sales, organizing, etc segments can benefit from a device like the x3. Just scan and get all product info/stock on phone, go to a dock and finalize your Excel, mail it and file it in the appropriate place via the x86 emulator HP provides. Done. It's not for the higher officials, but for the mid to lower level personnel, where it cuts the cost of giving them a desktop and laptop and peripheral device for doing their job. All in one.
Not such a great message to say Zac that Windows Mobile is for business. It's sheer nonsense! Microsoft has said that there is no focus on mobile in 2016, that is something very different. Yes, HP is using what is available now for an offering for business. I bet there will be a plethora of Windows Mobile devices towards the end of this year, profiting from a focus on Mobile with Redstone 3. The 3-in-1 solution is very interesting for everyone, especially with all the dual use features, personal, business, school, that Windows offers.
Windows Mobile is not for business. Is for insiders/beta testers.
ie, sadomasochist. Preview, insiders. A bunch of weak whinny sheep. "I got on the insider program because I wanted something quicker because I'm too impatient to wait but am to lazy to help so I complain on a forum because it's just easier then trying to really think and help. I have a Microsoft Lumia 650 and it works great! My only ***** is it doesn't cook and wash dishes!
"Windows 10 Mobile is a platform for enterprise." Business travel with a W10M device is highly inefficient. Flight checkin, inflight entertainment, boarding passes, lounge services, etc. are so fragmented because of the app gap. The sad reality is so many services have an elevated, streamlined experience with a native app.
I completly subscribe this comment. WM is the worst plataform to travel with / leave your confort zone...100% sure something will go wrong
People fail to see that consumer popularity directly affects business. IF apps didn't matter then blackberry would have still been the top enterprise phone. Furthermore MS doesn't even do anything with windows 10 mobile that is indicative of them caring about enterprise. There aren't as many enterprise features on it as other platforms, their own enterprise apps are lacking too. Unless HP is more concerned about windows 10 on ARM and don't care about windows 10 mobile in the near term but are simply using it to build brand loyalty and experience, then sure it could make sense.
So true
Took the kids into the MS store at the mall last Saturday (they have 640's). When they saw the Elite X3 they were wow'd at first but then said "It's too big. Where's the smaller version?" Boom, right there, MS had continuing (future)consumers, but will eventually lose them if they don't get something in their hands soon, when their 640's die or become unsupported...
You have a point there. I've noticed that small young girls love the iPhone 5s
Nice read !!
Great article, Zac. It elaborates so much more on what i commented about in another article.
"Even so, Android is now at that point in which it too has a Continuum experience, and when docked to a desktop or laptop can be extended to a desktop-like experience. The problem with Android, however, is that it isn't Windows. " Android does have Verizon, though. No limits to carrier coverage anywhere. Mix and match what works where your facilities are - kinda important for the whole mobility aspect.
This is one thing I can't understand. Why would one company have better coverage in one place then another in the US? I live in Russia and all carriers are equal in coverage and coverage is great anywhere and I pay $10 a month for 4G LTE on one sim and nothing unless I make a call on the other and little at that. On my unlimited data call plan I can call someone 9 time zones away for free! Three times the size of the US for free! I'm guessing it's just because Putin is so evil and Russia is so bad, but then they don't really control my news, do they?
But kinda only important in the US of A...
Double post, delete pls.
It's the way use of radio spectrum has been portioned out by the government. There's also an element of carrier consolidation going back decades now. Subscriber density/tower access also figures away from major cities. We have ATT coverage in our area - it's just none of it is strong enough within commercial buildings. It's barely intermittently useful in residential buildings. And yeah, it might be the US, but it is an affluent, technically advanced market. It's a reality that without devices on Verizon, a lot of mobile solutions are being implemented in IOS/Android.
folks The main Computer OS in use in Businesses today is Windows with Windows 10 running on 80% of new computers sold the rest of the PC' are Linux or Apple Mac OS computers. it makes sense to have a smart phone that has some compatiability with windows computers. windows 10 mobile smart phones are the most Compatiable smart phone Os to work with hundreds of milions of Windows 10 computers that are being used and more are coming everyday. I said it before and will say it again the Windows smart phone will become a Pocket PC smart phone hybrid device not a smart phone like Android and Apple smart phones are. There is no turning back Microsoft must go down this road because it's it's best bet because Windows smart phone hybrid Computers can use the huge Windows PC catalog of programs to run in continuum on a Windows 10 mobile smart phone via the new x86 emu;lation software that has been recently demonsrated to give people a device more powerful than any smartphone because it's more than just a smartphone.
Yes you are very right but the brainwashed will nit listen until they are told to do so.
Fully agree with you Gregory. Ever since the W8.1 phone I have been amazed at the capability of this method. Now years later I returned to W10 mobile and you now what when I tell my friends how I use it with my W10 yoga pro 2 and continuum most of them have no clue and love it. Being retired and starting some fun projects at the side I disagree with the statement that W10 mobile is enterprise it is the future as you say of pc smart phone and the other two are lagging behind. From now on I stick to W10 and W10 mobile it does not take a rocket scientist to see that more a no-brainer I would say.
Re: Gregory Newman,
Your comment is hard to read, but I think, if I understand you correctly, I agree.
Best wishes
I've recently started working with a team doing a lot of work with embedded devices. I have been stunned by how prevalent W10M (Enterprise version) is in the embedded, point of sale, and supply chain world. Talking with venders who sell management software for such devices they are seeing W10M being deployed in enormous numbers, tens or even hundreds of thousands of devices per deployment. Zebra and others are moving heavily into this space. When I saw the numbers I realized why my Icon still gets updates: It's free, MS is already making the OS and they are cleaning up in the embedded space. Might as well push the updates out for the phones they made. Whether they re-enter the consumer space in a meaningful way I have no idea, but they won't be exiting the commercial space anytime soon.
I work in the back office t&l and retail space, and see lots of windows mobile 6.5 and ce devices as well as some android. With zebra having purchased motorola they are pushing hard but they are keen on seeing android devices with all touch emulation etc in the field. I've yet to see any w10m devices in such areas personally.
The problem with Android is it does not fully support a TPM and as a result devices never really be secured even if you can somehow keep the OS image up to date (good luck with that even with tools like AirWatch). That is what has prompted our migration, and according to management companies its a trend they are seeing for the space as a whole. It may not have hit you yet, but it does seem to be hitting.
I'm familiar with the TPM concept and it is something i offer to clients though it appears we probably work on different areas of a similar industry space. Having more of a core focus on back office print we probably only have seen a smaller chunk of what you're taking about.
Re: David Fleetwood,
Your comment is not my area of knowledge, so I find your comment very interesting.
.
I hope you will tell us more, as things develop.
Best Wishes
The X3 is the perfect phone for this kind of articles. It is a device that I call a "two face device", because, when you need to say something good about this device, the SoC, RAM, camera...Great device, everybody claps. But when you call up the UGLY price of the device, UGLY price of the gadgets for the device...everyone attacks you saying that is a Business device. Please understand when MS says that WM is for Business is a SCAM...is FAKE NEWS. No business man uses Windows Mobile. WM is for insiders and beta testers.
more like WM is for guinea pigs that like to be MS testing lab rats...
I've been using an X3 for a few months now and it is a great phone. However I'd really like to see a smaller version available as the "small tablet" size of the current model is too big for most of my pockets. Yes a big screen is great for browsing the web and running apps but that is not my main requirement so a slightly smaller version would be preferable. The large battery size is a bonus though.
We're actually testing the X3 phones here at work. Hoping to replace a lot of iphones with them.
Do you think people are going to be happy giving up their iPhones? I can't see that going smoothly, especially for travel. The apps and services just aren't available on Windows.
We did the other way around. Brought some 650s, gave them to people and after a few months, and after MS decided to stop supporting the device, meaning warranty replacements ZERO, we asked users what they want to use: the X3 or iphones...they chose iphones because: "Winmo sucks, no apps, even those needed when in a business trip."
I swear if they release an Elite x3 with 5 or 5.2 inches display i would be like "shut up and take my money 💵"
HP, the new Lumia at the end of the tunnel for WP users. Hope they make it stellar.
Sweet, I can see myself using a similar device for light work. Come home, put my phone to on the dock finish my work. Change over to my PC on seperate input (or use Picture in Picture to switch between them both if I need to use my pc for heavy duty work. Such as CAD, FL Studio etc.
Zac, I wish I could be a part of windows central and help write articles! But I'm just an enthusiast and no journalist :(
I would change one line: "It's important to understand that Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a platform for consumers, it's a platform for enterprise."
So my question would be after reading this article ( Which was a very good Article ) , should I as a consumer stick with my Windows phones or make my androids my personal phones understanding that MS is truly focused on enterprise and not so much consumer.
Support what you truly like, or be part of the problem.
"It's important to understand that windows 10 mobile is not a platform for consumers, It's a platform for enterprise" this line really got to me. really? so after all those years of us, the windows phone community, following Microsoft this is what windows 10 mobile is defined as? a platform for enterprise. No. Windows 10 Mobile was made for the consumers. I'm still with Microsoft but its good to be honest with ourselves and admit that it failed to attract app developers (again). Whats not good is to try and cover it up now by saying that it wasnt meant for consumers and it was meant for enterprise. why make the lumia 950 and 950 XL (excellent phone specs)? why work on the alleged surface phone? if its all for enterprise that is.
You are putting the cart before the horse. Microsoft failed to attract OEMs and carriers. That is step one. Step two, OEMs and carriers create and sell the devices and bring consumers to the platform. Then and only then developers go where the consumers are. Microsoft wants to skip the first two steps. They think developers come first then consumers, but that isn't how it works. Microsoft has this entitled attitude, thinking they don't have to entice OEMs and carriers. They think they should have developers by default.
It's what MS and fanboys do all the time. They try to find reasons to cover up failures of this pathetic platform. even enterprises are avoiding this mobile OS because it's full of bugs.
Wow now continuum is amazing!...someone would give me a present? In example a 950 or X3 orI dol 4...🙂
Ok, i finally created an account just so I could comment on this article. I've had just about every Lumia made... I recently bought an X 3. The quality of the hardware and the performance of the machine is incredible when compared to my 950 XL. Reliability of the experience, the speed of the processor, the fluidity of the interface... it just works. I had basically given up on continuum as a nice concept and maybe an early work in progress but recently trying a wired continuum connection with my X3...it's more than usable, in fact it's quite good so kudos to everybody at HP. So now, my contribution to the community is the following: Whenever I finally invest in new hardware it always means the next new thing is just around the corner...so, let's see what's next. I think there are a hand full of very interesting possibilities in the next 6 months.
Re: Douglas H.,
Great comment. Hope to see more.
Best Wishes
HP phone + competitive camera = take my money
To be totally honest, since the very beginning I love windows mobile and I know the potential They have and will get in the near future. I'm an IT professional and this device is fantastic even when it needs more stability in the software because the very few issues I have with my idol 4s. But I'm confident that future updates will make my device greater and more productive than what it is now. And I'm definitely looking forward to the new HP elite X3s and the new features to come.
Zac Bowden,
Thank you for writing.
Best Wishes
I think windows 10 mobile as we know it now is dead....infact all other platforms.....why do i say so?? Cos world is moving for a all in one device or an os that enables you to seemlessly shift from one device to another and even samsung thinks continuum is the future.....and as tim cook also pointed out along with other leading tech leaders AI is the future....so where does microsoft or windows 10 stand at this point?? Microsoft is gaining grounds in the cloud, in the educational sector , their 2-in 1's are doing better business than expected with the help of oem partners, microsoft has a brilliant product in hololens, and microsoft has almost blurred the line between smartphones and pcs and with their cshell introduction i believe they would achieve about 85% of their goal of a unified platform.....so there wont be any windows 10mobile , jus windows10.....and where does this leave android and ios?? In the short term they are leaders but in the long term windows will gain from the inability of the fragmented android to adapt to large screen and apples less and less devotion towards their killer macbook and more attention towards an over priced iphone which doesnt bring anything new to the table at this moment and an oversized ipad that runs a mobile os with the detachable keyboard that onced mocked the surface device as an ammalgamtion of a refrigrator and a toaster and now is trying to play the 'catch up' game......so to all the windows fans out there yes we have endured a lot....but dont loose hope....we will surely win in the long run with microsoft 's current strategy as having missed the wave of smartphones, it will take a lot of time to turn things around.....i can already see light at the end of dark tunnel......
I do hope that HP also releases a WM10 device for the consumer market and provide the same support it gives the Elite x3. It'd be interesting to see if it takes off as a WM10 savior device (before the purported Surface phone arrives?)
WM10 is neither consumer nor enterprise. It's just NO OS so it's dying. The only enterprise app is Office. No app developers write for WM. The very some banks have WM10 client app and every new one is presented as breaking news. So still there is no CheckPoint client for WM and so on. The hopes that old legacy 32-bit apps will revive OS are illusion
yeah right...:)) and how many enterprises actually bought this overpriced device running a mediocre os? Companies are not that stupid. It does not matter what type of users windows 10 mobile is targeting as long as it is the same pathetic mobile OS with lack of dev interest and full of bugs!
HP isn't too alive either, is it?
There is one fundimental flaw in the suggested strategy of the article. For any hardware provider who hope that their product will be leading in the new BYOD world, you've got to have a product that offers the user everything they get from their exisiting mobile world today. No iphone user is going to swap to an HP becasue it suits their employers. They want their apps. Without that, BYOD will simply mean that people will run two phones, which of course is not really BYOD at all, it just shifting some budget from employer to employee.
Is HP committed to Windows Mobile? I am not sure a single, massively overpriced device with limited availability is the definition of commitment. HP doesn't even seem to be pushing it that hard. It HP is the future of Windows phones, then that future is quite bleak.
This game isn't over yet. Agree with the earlier comment about keep using your Lumia and there will be a next generation Windows phone to move on to, perhaps in 2018.
I am a passionate windows mobile fan but its really a bitter truth that all we are doing is philosophy and other companies are creating beautiful, functional, innovative mobile devices like s7 edge, v20/ g6 and xperia xz premium, mi mix and many more others. It is really disappointing and defending windows mobile is now giving me a feeling of not accepting the truth.
I just got my Lumia 950XL back from being repaired (they actually just sent me a new one). And I'm so happy. The android device I had bought as a placeholder is garbage. No idea how anyone uses Android on a daily basis. App needed to do anything, super buggy, not-intuitive at all... Being away from my 950XL for 2 months (yes 2 WHOLE months) only made me appreciate it more. Really hope Windows Mobile never goes away.
Welcome back from the brink jack, was your phone purchased from the microsoft store orignially ?
Thank you. It's good to be home My 950XL is the dual sim variant purchased from B&H Photo. I knew the risks when I bought it (they said no factory warranty, but it had a 1 year BH Photo warranty). I was surprised when they said it would take 4-6 weeks for a repair, it ended up being longer than that and I started complaining because there was no end in sight so they sent me a different one. No harm no foul, just so happy to be back. Shame that Windows Phone gets such a bad rap, it's obvious that most people have never tried or seen a windows phone device, or the ones that have base their opinions off the $30 Lumia 640 they saw on Slickdeals... They compare a $30 phone to an $800 iPhone like that's fair at all... As long as Windows Mobile exists and there is a premium option (high-end lumia, etc) they've got me as a customer. Definitely needs to have the best camera on the market though, I waited forever to replace my 1020 because of that fact.
Jack, i purchased my L650 From B&H Photo for $ 99.00 and was very happy with there service. Glad to hear about them taking good care of your L950XL.Enjoy.
In the end, they came through. It did take 7 weeks (they quote 4-6 weeks on their RMA form), I think if BH Photo had still carried my phone they would have replaced it much sooner.
App needed to do anything
Therein lies the vicious spiral. If you need an app to do anything then it's hard to imagine a world where apps don't feature. With a Windows Mobile phone, you don't really need apps, so Android users wrongly think it isn't any good.
Exactly. It's something that android users don't understand. It's also a double-edged sword for Windows, because we don't use the apps when they come to the store. I use the Edge Browser for pretty much everything 3rd party that an app isn't required to do. We also don't need apps for email, text messaging, visual voicemail, calculator, flashlight, battery saver, camera, etc etc... Microsoft did an excellent job of giving you a ready to run operating system right out of the box. Much better than having to install a bunch of cut-rate, ad-filled 3rd party apps like on Android.
I thought all those "calculator, flashlight, battery saver, camera, etc etc..." all were apps.
Than you've obviously never used Windows Phone. None of those are apps. They are pre-installed on the phone and you don't have to go to a store to download them. They are part of the OS.
"With a Windows Mobile phone, you don't really need apps"
How would you make a bank deposit with no app?
Go to an ATM like we did before 2013? Regardless Windows Phone has banking apps so it's a moot point. For the 3 times a year I need to deposit a check via the app I use the app, otherwise I have no reason to use the app.
In NZ: If someone gives me $50 cash (i.e. physical notes and coins): I go to an ATM or to the bank. AFAIK no one has invented an app that can transmit physical cash across the internet. If someone gives me a cheque, I can either go to the bank or put a deposit slip with the cheque in an envelope and put it in the post. In NZ, AFAIK you're not allowed to deposit a cheque with just an image of the cheque scanned/imported into an app. Too high a risk of fraudulent behaviour. Everything else you can do without an app. The only advantage I can see with an app is that it allows you to enter transactions offline and then they are uploaded once you're onto the internet again.
without good quality app it's unusable. many apps are being pulled back or not being improved. without positive growth of windows phone users, companies are not interested in developing apps.
😀
I commend everyone that has made a comment here. We all are the LAST MEN STANDING! After a year, l'll check how y'all are doing. 🚶
We will be fine, thanks for checking in on us.
I think HP's committment is great. As MS moves to the Enterprise side of the business, I think it will force MS to continue support for the casual Windows Phone user as well.
I can't speak for all of Enterprise but in my experience with mobile thusfar: No - Enterprise does not need Win32. Not in that form factor anyways. We've never had it and the industry has moved to mostly web apps that are platform agnostic with some players using native apps on (mostly IOS). Unless you are all in on Microsoft and want to take advantage of some very specific (and actually pretty neat) features AND forego pretty much any native vendor app, there's no compelling reason to embrace Windows mobile for phones. Not yet anyways... maybe not ever. That said... Windows is taking back the tablet form factor by storm for us... people are finally catching on that iPads aren't great general purpose business tools. Small laptops and convertibles are replacing them quite rapidly. We have over 1000 mobile devices.
If HP is indeed thinking that there is a market for an enterprise/business phone then they need to think again. Inside every business user is a consumer that doesn't want to carry two devices. Blackberry learnt that the hard way. I suspect that unless Windows delivers on the gaming and app experience, few are going to buy a Windows phone (a phone with Windows on it).
Tiles Killed Windows IF surface phone comes with icon desktop it will gain popularity
because Nadella killed nokia and somebody has to? Oh, wait, Nadella is killing microsoft as a consumer brand completely! windows 10, so ******, he cant even give it away! Why does he still have a job?
Isn't HP the company that is losing money left and right? I know they were not long ago. But have they turned it around at all?
It's great Hp is investing in the windows phone platform. Microsoft needs to do the same. Windows can be an enterprise and consumer phone 📱. I am a consumer and I am looking forward to the next windows phone 📱
I really need to replace my lumia 730 immediately. But no replacement found for this perfect phone(Perfect sized screen with AMOLED ClearBlack technology,Perfect screen resolution i.e.720p for 4.7 inch is perfect, perfect camera,perfect looks, perfect battery,perfect overall system hardware . I wish HP launches a higher mid range windows 10 smartphone with such perfect recipe I will buy that.. I promise

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