14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's Windows Phone is still the underdog of the smartphone OS market, and no matter how hard the software giant is trying to convince users to give it a chance, Android and iOS continue to be the undisputed leaders of this business.
And yet, Microsoft has apparently put together a plan that would help it compete with Android and iOS, without directly involving Windows Phone.
Basically, it all comes down to showing users of other platforms what they might miss if they don't try Windows Phone as soon as possible.
At the same time, Microsoft is also working on a brand new version of Windows Phone that would better compete with Android and iOS in terms of features and usability, so all of these together should help the company become more relevant in an industry where it still holds a 3 percent market share.
First, let's launch some apps on rival platforms
Microsoft launched Office for iOS last year in an attempt to show Apple customers that its applications continue to provide the best productivity on the go, no matter the device they were using.
Office was first available as a document viewer, as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required an Office 365 subscription to unlock document editing features.
Recently, the company unveiled the new Outlook email client for Android and iOS, an application based on Accompli's project and which had already been around for a while under a different name.
Unsurprisingly, some Windows Phone users got all upset because of the growing interest that Microsoft has in Android and iOS, so the company got the message and sped up development of the Windows versions of the same apps.
Office Touch is now in preview form on Windows and will be pre-installed on all smartphones running Windows 10 for phones, while the Outlook client will be part of the OS from the get-go.
Now let's make them free of charge
Office was available on iOS with an Office 365 subscription for editing purposes, but soon after that, the company decided to make the apps available free of charge for everyone running it on iPhones and iPads.
Basically, an Office 365 was no longer required, so anyone on iOS could get and use Office without paying a single cent for both viewing and editing purposes.
At the same time, the Outlook email client is completely free of charge for all Android and iOS users, so pretty much all Microsoft's apps can now be downloaded by anyone, no matter the platform. What's more, Microsoft is also offering other free apps, including OneDrive, and provides users with plenty of storage space based on regular discounts and upgrade promos.
The final purpose
All of the above would help users on Android on iOS see what Microsoft actually has to offer without actually trying to show them how great Windows Phone really is.
The secret purpose, however, is not only to prove that its apps are worth a shot but to convince users that Microsoft develops great mobile solutions, so why not give Windows Phone a try, after all?
What's more, Office, Outlook, and all the other Microsoft apps will be integrated from the very beginning into Windows 10 for phones, so there's no doubt that built-in software works much better than those downloaded from the store for compatibility, stability, and reliability reasons.
So Microsoft might be playing the smart card here, even though it might look like it's ignoring its users. Obviously, it still has to reward Windows customers with new apps every once in a while, but this is a long-term plan and every small step needs to be thought out thoroughly.