14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve known for a while thanks to the rumor mill that the Lumia 650 is the last phone to be produced by Microsoft under the Lumia umbrella, and although there was no confirmation coming from the company itself regarding this change, it turns out that it is now taking the final steps to phase out the brand.
There are reports out there that Microsoft is pulling Windows phones from stores, so if you’re looking to buy a Lumia from the company’s official stores, it could really be a tough challenge.
The firm removed the Lumia section from its online store’s homepage and is now pulling phones from physical stores too, so it’s very clear that the focus is no longer on these devices.
Nobody at Microsoft stores seems to have an explanation for what is going on right now, and few employees actually use Windows phones. But given the earlier rumors that the Lumia brand would be phased out, it becomes more obvious that this is indeed the plan, and the company is now taking more substantial steps to accomplish its goal.
What’s new for Windows phones?
OK, so the Lumia brand is almost officially dead, but what’s next for Windows phones? Basically, even though Microsoft pulls Lumia phones, the firm will still continue its mobile push. The pioneer of this push will be the Surface Phone, if it ever sees daylight, with people familiar with Microsoft’s plans now saying that the device could launch next year, either earlier or later.
At the same time, Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 Mobile, both the ecosystem and the operating system, so partner devices could see daylight in the coming months. It remains to be seen how many partners actually want to release such phones.
The focus will be switched from consumers to the enterprise, and this is the main reason Microsoft wasn’t very concerned about the dropping market share in the consumer market. It has a plan to expand in enterprise, and the upcoming Surface Phone will be specifically tailored to this side of the market.
The only problem with Windows 10 Mobile continues to remain the app ecosystem, as developers keep leaving the platform. And even though the focus will no longer be consumers, Microsoft needs to understand that enterprise customers also eat, browse the web, use email clients and do all kinds of activities that would require a rich app ecosystem.