14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone revenues dropped 49 percent during the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, and while many people are rushing to predict the death of the platform, Microsoft seems to be very keen on its overhauling plan that’s supposed to make the mobile business a critical piece of its global strategy.
One of the hottest subjects in the Windows Phone community is the way Microsoft tackles the lack of apps, as this is believed to be one of the reasons many people actually jump ship and switch to Android or iOS.
Last year, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 Mobile would support Android and iOS apps through Project Astoria and Project Islandwood, respectively, but nearly six months later, neither is available for Windows insiders. There’s even word that Astoria plans have been shelved, with Microsoft focusing exclusively on bringing iOS apps on Windows 10 Mobile.
But Redmond’s backup plan is to encourage developers to create universal apps that would run on all Windows 10 devices and adapt to different screen sizes and offer the same features and UI. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella has already stated that building universal apps is a priority for the company and explained that this is the direction Redmond should adopt and not necessarily Android apps compatibility.
Universal apps will eventually succeed
A similar message was delivered by Nadella during the conference call with investors following the Q2 FY2016 earnings reports, with the CEO saying that the company still thinks that universal apps can succeed.
“We are big believers in a unified developer platform and a unified Store, and then as Windows 10 monthly active devices increases and the Store usage increases, we'll see more and more developers take advantage of it,” he stated.
In a late 2015 meeting with shareholders, Nadella explained that while universal apps are indeed an important part of Microsoft’s strategy, nothing can be changed overnight, and asked for more time before they can succeed.
“This is new. We’ve had different efforts in the past but we now have one store and one app platform. Give us time to keep focused on it,” he told shareholders.
Microsoft will definitely continue to invest in Windows 10 Mobile and universal apps, but the drop that the platform is experiencing these days doesn’t help at all. Fortunately, Windows Phone still has one of the most loyal user bases out there, so there will still be plenty of consumers using it until the very last minute.