Windows phone: chronicle of a death foretold

It was born in 2010 as a successor to Windows Mobile with a very clear goal: to challenge a cyclops called Android. Nearly six years later, Windows Phone has not succeeded, and at this point, the prospects for recovery are practically nil. In fact, Microsoft itself has announced that it is throwing in the towel and that, for a few months, its mobile operating system is no longer a priority.

Windows Phone, chronicle of an announced death?

Which story by García Márquez, the Windows Phone thing is being the chronicle of an announced death. In this last week we have learned that Microsoft's mobile operating system is practically defeated. The trend is practically the same all over the world, but in Spain the data from the latest Kantar report are clairvoyant: Android, Google's operating system, has 90% of the market share, while Windows Phone ends to get below 1%, just below Apple, which although it may seem strange, only enjoys 9.1%. Outside our country, the figures are not so positive for Android, but in the United States, for example, it has 65%, compared to 29% for iOS. Windows Phone is also below 4%, in which it would be an obvious inferiority situation.

The low market penetration of Microsoft's operating system is directly related to the sale of Lumia smartphones , all of them equipped with Windows Phone. After presenting the official economic results, the Redmond has put on the table a reduction of up to 73% in sales compared to the same period last year. A figure that would leave Microsoft Lumia smartphone sales at a paltry 2.3 million units worldwide, widely surpassed by large manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei and even Apple. . These almost two and a half million correspond to the last three months and do not offer a good future perspective, especially if we take into account that in the previous year Microsoft managed to place 8.6 million of Lumia. The reduction, in terms of income, has been a powerful 46%, which gives little room for a comeback.

In China it has been more of the same. In what is one of the most important markets in the world, Windows Phone has fallen with a share of less than 3%. Only in countries like France or Germany, the percentage with which Microsoft's mobile operating system has been made is close to 13%. These, however, would be very specific cases that would not be decisive for the success or failure of the platform worldwide.

But is that… Windows Phone is no longer a priority

We don't say it. Microsoft itself says so. Earlier this month, of Redmond celebrated Build 2016, an event developer conference, in which the head of the division Windows, Terry Myerson, acknowledged that Windows Phone is no longer a priority for this year 2016. Here's one of the real reasons why the history of Microsoft's mobile operating system is the chronicle of a death foretold. Managers said they were committed to the smartphone world , but that at the moment they are not focused on awakening the interest of developers around this platform. It seems, then, that like other companies such as HTC, the company has decided to focus on other fields that are more avant-garde for them, such as the world of virtual reality. Hence, at Build 2016 there was a lot of talk about HoloLens and Windows Phone was hardly mentioned.

One of the main problems attributed to the platform has to do, precisely, with the scant support from developers. A Windows Phone lacks many applications and support regarding updates. It is true that Windows 10 aims to solve this problem thanks to its vocation of transversality, but it is also true that there is no rhythm of work in this regard and that users would have to wait a long time. So much so that they may have tired of using Windows Phone and being a minority group, whose access to all the news and updates is still very limited.

WINDOWS PHONE: THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN

But how did Microsoft get started with its mobile operating system? What milestones has Windows Phone marked in the history of smart mobile telephony?

February 2010. The birth.

It was internally baptized as Photon , but it was nothing more than the most direct successor to Windows Mobile, an operating system that we had already seen in pocket devices and professional PDAs. The arrival of Windows Phone marked a before and after in the Microsoft ecosystem, since it was an operating system for mobile phones with a more democratic vocation, focused on the common user and not only on a business audience and / or or professional. The presentation took place on February 15, 2010 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it wasn't until the following month that we got to know some details. The first version would reach theEuropean phones on October 21 of that same year as Windows Phone 7. It differed from other previous versions (remember the intermediate version Windows Mobile 6.5) by having a major redesign, in addition to many applications and tools such as Zune HD and Zune Software.

September 2012. The first version arrives.

After Windows Phone 7, Microsoft released Windows Phone 8 (September 2012) and Windows Phone 8.1 (April 2014). All updates were carried out independently, so that users did not depend on their operator and could receive the data package on time and via FOTA (Firmware Over The Air), or what is the same, without the need for cables. Each of these versions was incorporating functional and aesthetic improvements to the platform, but its operation was based on the same base, whose operation and structure are radically different from what is proposed by the majority operating system: Android.

But… how is Windows Phone different?

The experience on board a Windows Phone device has little to do with how Android works. Thus, broadly speaking, we can distinguish the following characteristics:

• The user interface. Baptized as Modern UI, it is made up of a series of tiles or squares called Live Tiles that are organized on the desktop and that as the versions have progressed, they have been more customizable both in shape, appearance and size. Within these boxes all the information regarding calls, messages, social networks, updates and searches is displayed and they work as shortcuts for the main functions. Additionally, users have the option to configure “actions” or access specific folders, playlists and contacts from the phone cover.. You just have to configure it. You may like the system or the opposite, but it cannot be denied that it is a very visual and practical tool for users looking for a simple operating system.

• The famous Hubs. Within the previous section we could also integrate this characteristic so typical of Windows Phone: the Hubs that give access to Contacts, Office, Games or the Xbox Music and Xbox Video services.

• Searches and search engines. How could it be otherwise, the Windows Phone header search engine is Bing, although users can access Google, albeit in a slightly uncomfortable way (through the browser) or by downloading the application, if they prefer. And speaking of browsers, the one that comes standard on this platform is Internet Explorer. There is no possible discussion.

The app store

The application store opened its doors as soon as the operating system started up, but the truth is that at this point, it is still a space that is somewhat lacking in content. The latest data we have on the table shows a total of more than 560,000 applications, with an average of 15,000 new additions each month, figures that are well below the 2 million applications that Google Play has already exceeded and 11,000 million of downloads that were registered in the last quarter for Android. Windows Phone's low market share has led many developers to withdraw their applications from the Microsoft Marketplace.

2015, the fall

Although at first some forecasts were positive (both Gartner and IDC noted significant growth in share and predicted that Windows Phone could even surpass BlackBerry and even iOS). It is true that the percentages increased to 10% in Europe and almost 5% in the United States, but the sales were directly attributed to a couple of models with Windows Phone 8 that sold exaggeratedly well. We refer, of course, to the Lumia 520 and Lumia 620, two basic equipment, well equipped and inexpensive, aimed at a young audience.

The decline in sales came in 2015. The fall was 57% and the comeback was becoming increasingly difficult. 2016 data forecast the worst and in fact, it would not be surprising if we were soon to see the end of Windows Phone and the Lumia range as we know them.

Windows 10, a little light on the way?

To end the fragmentation of versions, Microsoft has seen fit to bring out a new transversal version that has been baptized as Windows 10 and that, in principle, is available for PCs, tablets, smartphones and Xbox One, among others. The version that will soon be available for a good portion of Lumia devices, includes great advantages such as quick actions or interactive notifications, as well as different functional improvements that aim to improve the user experience on board.

But, unfortunately, the little interest that Microsoft seems to have shown in recent times and the unease of users could make the arrival of Windows 10 to the world of smartphones a fact of little importance, with a large majority of users with their sights set on in the Android universe.