In a revival tent-like speech, Microsoft's chief operations officer, Kevin Turner, urged the company's partners to forget the past - an allusion to the failure of its smartphone business to gain meaningful share - but defended the decision to keep making handsets.
Microsoft will continue to manufacture smartphones for its Windows 10 Mobile operating system, but the company has thrown in the towel on the devices strategy pursued by its former CEO and will probably give up entirely unless Windows 10 reverses years of missteps in mobile, analysts said.
Despite rumors that Microsoft is about to kill Windows Phone, some industry observers say that's unlikely for several reasons, especially the expected gains from the rollout of Windows 10, which will run on smartphones and other devices.
Avoid the dreaded 'battery low' message with these simple tips
Microsoft may be pulling the Nokia brand from Australia, but the glorious company will leave an indelible legacy. Here's but a glimpse at ten just examples.
Everyone has a favourite Nokia phone. It doesn’t matter if you back the friendly Nokia 5110 or the feature-rich Nokia N95, somewhere lodged in your memory lies a Nokia smartphone that brings about a sense of nostalgia.
It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that my experiment of using naught but the HTC One (M8) with Windows for a week is officially over. And I have to say: I'm relieved.
Ford Australia invited Good Gear Guide to its design quarters in Melbourne for a behind-the-scenes look at production technologies and its upcoming Everest concept.
At this point, it's obvious Windows Phone is in trouble. The platform remains a distant third in almost every market behind Android handsets and the iPhone. It remains far behind behind both platforms in terms of available apps. Its market share contracted last quarter and many people don't even know the platform is out there. About the only good news for Windows Phone is that seems to be holding steady ahead of BlackBerry.
Microsoft decision to ax the feature phone business it got when it bought Nokia's handset business for $7.2 billion shows the investment 'went for naught.'
Microsoft has some interesting hardware in the pipeline for later this year--if the rumor mill is churning out accurate reports--such as a 3D touch-enabled Windows Phone and the fabled Surface Mini.
There's no getting cold feet now. On Friday, Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's device business became official, after months of delays and regulatory hurdles. The remnants of Nokia will get a whopping $7.2 billion. In return, Microsoft will get 32,000 new employees, a legion of Lumias, and oh yeah, those funky Android-based Nokia X phones.
The personal computer has endured for more than 30 years. We understand it. It's familiar. But digital assistants--the new breed of smartphone data butlers designed to make our lives simpler--have yet to climb out of their cribs.
Microsoft's announcement of universal Windows apps demonstrates the company's commitment to improving its share of the tablet and smartphone markets.
Microsoft is expected to launch an update to its Windows Phone platform to version 8.1 at its annual Build developer conference on Wednesday, followed by a separate Nokia event later in the day, reportedly to announce two phones running the new OS.
