14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is believed to be taking the necessary steps to phase out the Lumia phone brand and people with knowledge of the matter have revealed that the company pulled devices from stores in anticipation of the shutdown planned for December.
Despite all the rumors pointing to an imminent death of Lumia, Microsoft continues to remain tight-lipped on everything regarding its mobile division, sticking to the same mysterious approach that’s causing so much frustration in the Windows Phone community.
Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider program, said in a tweet that Microsoft is committed to Windows 10 Mobile, reiterating the words of Windows boss Terry Myerson, who said earlier this year that the firm would support partners in bringing new devices to the market.
“We're dedicated to mobile & sending out flights. As our partners bring devices to market, we will include these for Insiders too,” Dona said.
Focus on Windows 10 Mobile and partner devices
Decrypting the message is not that hard, especially given the fact that the head of the Insider program clearly states that partners are the ones to bring devices to the market, and not Microsoft directly. Windows 10 Mobile will survive, though, but it’s still not clear if the Surface Phone continues to be on the company’s roadmap or not.
Terry Myerson said in an email to partners in April that Microsoft is “developing our next generation products and is committed to delivering Windows 10 on mobile devices with small screen running ARM processors.”
For the moment, however, there is still no confirmation that a Surface Phone is on its way, even though it’s very clear that this could be Microsoft’s best shot at succeeding in mobile. Myerson dropped a few hints that, at some point, a new model could land, but again, no specifics were provided.
“We have a device roadmap to support that from Microsoft as well as our OEM partners who will also be selling an expanded lineup of phone devices based on this platform,” he said.
People with knowledge of the matter previously hinted that the Surface Phone could launch in early 2017, but according to the latest rumors, the device might have been delayed to later the same year.