14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft itself is dropping all kinds of hints that it is no longer interested in launching Windows phones, but on the other hand, there are several companies out there that want to do that, and Willeyfox appears to be one of them.
Although Wileyfox isn’t necessarily known as a big smartphone OEMs, the firm is more popular in the Android ecosystem where it launched devices running CyanogenMod.
It turns out that Wileyfox is now planning to invest in Windows phones, with the first device expected to launch later this year, alongside a long series of accessories.
The company says that it won’t focus primarily on consumers, but on the enterprise market, especially because “Windows is much better for security,” as Wileyfox vice-president of sales Andy Lee explains.
“That’s why it’s more suited for B2B. Android can be opened up,” he continues, explaining that more businesses would adopt Windows phones because of the high level of security.
No technical specifications
Although no technical details about this phone are available at the moment, Wileyfox says the purpose is to create an affordable model that can be used for a wide array of activities, including scanning products, a thing that would come in handy to courier companies.
“Increasingly people are screaming for costs to come down and want a good affordable device. If businesses are going to buy thousands of devices to kit out their work force, they need a good price point. That’s where we’re going to hit it out. Most firms can’t afford to spend £500 per device. But with us, they can be assured quality and the right features,” Lee was quoted as saying.
One of the best things about this new plan is that Wileyfox seems to be very committed to Windows phones, so the company also wants to launch new accessories, like chargers, headphones, and cases, that will be manufactured in China and released in late Q2 or early Q3.
The firm wants to sell a total of 2 million smartphones this year alone, which would be a substantial increase from 500,000 last year, and the new Windows phone is supposed to help achieve this optimistic target.