14 DAY TRIAL // HP is one of the companies that keep investing in Windows phones and the company attended this year’s MWC show in Barcelona to silently showcase an improved version of its Elite X3 running Windows 10 Mobile.
But it turns out that this concept wasn’t the only one on display, as the firm also presented a new Lap Dock for the Elite X3 that’s supposed to turn the smartphone into a fully-featured laptop that takes advantage of Continuum.
Elite X3 already launched with a Lap Dock, but HP is trying to address all the annoyances of the previous version, so the improved model comes with more ports, but without a touch screen, probably in an attempt to keep the price down. Additionally, Dr. Windows says the Lap Dock could have a screen of either 13 or 14 inches, with HP trying to keep it as portable as possible.
Is it still worth investing in Windows phones?
While HP deserves all the praises for its continued investments in Windows phones, it’s no surprise that the company is not pushing too hard for these devices, and their quiet showcasing at the MWC perfectly makes sense, especially given the plethora of Android devices that launched at the show stealing all the attention.
Windows phones are rapidly losing ground and a recent forecast from analyst firm IDC indicates that Microsoft’s mobile platform could do even worse, projecting a decline to 0.0 percent market share by 2021.
“It is unclear at this time if Microsoft has a clear plan to persuade OEMs to get back on board with the platform, or if it plans to release a device itself like it did with Surface devices. Until this production question is addressed, IDC doesn’t see a clear path to turning around the platform,” IDC says.
Truth be told, nobody can see a path to turning around the platform at this point, mostly due to the fact that Microsoft itself remains completely tight-lipped on everything mobile, without even confirming that the Surface Phone, which everyone seems to eagerly expect these days, is a real project or not.