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Windows Phone Is Not Dead: Microsoft Promises “Killer Devices”

“We care about phones and we are still in phones”

Jul 16, 2015 06:50 GMT  ·  By
Windows Phone devices will get Windows 10 free of charge
   Windows Phone devices will get Windows 10 free of charge

Microsoft has recently announced new cost-cutting measures that will impact the Phone Hardware unit, and it’s no secret that many analysts and experts have rushed to predict the end of Windows Phone, Redmond’s smartphone platform that still has a hard time competing against Android and iOS.

After CEO Satya Nadella, another Microsoft executive reiterates the commitment to Windows Phone, trying to make it as clear as possible that the software giant was, is, and will continue to be a very active player in the mobile industry.

Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner announced during his keynote at WPC 2015 that “we are not giving up on phone,” and explained that “we will continue to innovative in that space.”

While no other details were provided, Turner went on to say that “the reality is, we care about phones and are still in phones,” adding that “we are focused on a few killers devices.”

New flagships coming this year

According to sources close to the company, the killer devices that Turner was talking about at WPC 2015 are Microsoft’s new flagships running Windows 10 Mobile, which should arrive together with the new operating system later this year.

With this new strategy, Microsoft wants to focus on three different phone categories, namely value handsets, business devices, and flagships, with these last ones to be specifically aimed at Windows fans.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch one or two models for each category every year, which means that the company will have a phone portfolio of only 6 models that would be refreshed every 12 months. That’s indeed a big change as compared to the current strategy, as Microsoft has launched no less than 7 devices in the last 8 months, all of them budget models or mid-range devices.

Windows 10 Mobile should arrive in September or October, but the release will take place in waves, so it could take a little bit longer until all Windows Phone devices get it across the world.