Microsoft has seemingly killed off Windows 10 Mobile – its gateway into the mobile space – after removing the ability for Windows Phone 8 handsets to upgrade.
Isn’t it sad that the only news we come across surrounding Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile is the absence of news itself? At least, that’s the case this week as it has seemingly emerged that Microsoft has quietly shuttered its mobile operating system.
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The news emerges after Microsoft quietly removed the Upgrade Advisor app that enabled Windows Phone 8.1 to update to Windows 10 Mobile, and the fact that the Windows Insider app no longer provides new builds of Windows 10 Mobile for elder Windows Phone 8.1 users.
Earlier this year, Kantar Worldpanel cited that Microsoft’s mobile operating system was all but a write-off, and elaborated that iOS and Android are the two sole platforms we’ll likely turn to in the future.
The news that Windows 10 Mobile might be (officially) dead is corroborated by the fact that Microsoft recently dipped its toes in the Android pool in partnership with Samsung, which saw both companies develop a special Samsung Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition.
Microsoft has consistently focussed on porting some of its major services and applications, such as OneDrive, Outlook, Skype, and Office, to larger operating systems such as iOS and Android – indicating that the company is hedging its bets.
The sole hope for Microsoft’s mobile OS likely rests with the long-rumoured possibility of a Surface Phone, which the Redmond giant has hinted at on occasion but has failed to officially confirm.
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What are your thoughts? Is there any hope left for Microsoft’s mobile vision, or should the company rather get on board with platforms such as iOS and Android, where it can sell its services? Be sure to let us know your opinion in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
