14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft does not seem very proud of its Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL smartphones. They are not being advertised on TV, and they aren't yet available in many countries.
Most of the time they appear to be sold out, and even if that's a marketing strategy, on the long term it won't give any positive results.
Windows 10 Mobile should have been released to the general public by now, but from what we've learned thanks to the latest preview builds, the operating system is nowhere near ready.
Although most of the features are there, Windows 10 Mobile does not seem to be well optimized for the hardware, and it's still full of bugs and issues.
Despite what Microsoft would want you to believe, Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL might sell well, but they won't bring Windows Phone the market share it desperately needs.
The large majority of people purchasing the new Windows 10-powered smartphones are upgrading from an older Windows Phone; they are not switchers from other operating systems like Android, BlackBerry or iOS.
On top of that, some of them have already decided that Windows 10 Mobile did not meet their demands anymore and switched to Android or iOS.
Many Lumia 950/950 XL early adopters are disappointed
The number or users who are determined to switch from their newly acquired Lumia 950/950 XL to another flagship smartphone is still small, but it's an alarm bell for Microsoft to start doing a better job with its new OS.
In the past couple of years, Microsoft has struggled with its Lumia lineup of smartphones, which makes me believe that the only benefit of acquiring Nokia's mobile division was the removal from the smartphone business of a worthy rival.
Fast forward a few years and almost none of the people that previously worked at Nokia's mobile division after it was acquired by Microsoft is still part of the Redmond-based company.
Stephen Elop's departure was a signal that Microsoft is looking to start something new and fresh that would make its devices matter in such a competitive market.
The cancelation of Nokia McLaren is a direct result of what's been happening behind the curtains at Microsoft. The chaos inside the mobile division was reflected in Microsoft's portfolio of smartphones, which lacked a flagship device for so long.
One of the first things that Satya Nadella did when he took over from Steve Ballmer was to cancel some of the upcoming Windows 10 devices. That's because they weren't really coming with anything new regarding design or features.
Newly redesigned products with unique features are the answer
Now that Panos Panay and his group are leading Microsoft's mobile division, we expect the company to come forward with new designs and possibly a new category of products.
The Surface Phone might be the device that debuts a new category of products, one that's been fully conceived by Microsoft and has nothing to do with the “old guard” that worked for Nokia.
It's the same team that designed the Surface tablets, which are selling very well in the United States, one of the few markets that matter for Microsoft.
I believe Microsoft gave up competing Android and iOS with Windows 10 Mobile, even before the new operating system is officially launched on the market.
The company's new Lumia smartphones powered by Windows 10 are no match for the most recent Android and iOS flagships.
What Microsoft can do now is innovate and try to bring something new on the market. Panos Panay and his team have been entrusted with this task, which is why we should expect the next devices Microsoft announces to belong to the premium category, one that Panay is very familiar with.
The approach that Microsoft is taking now is the one that requires more time and resources, but the other two options, canceling Windows Phone and all future smartphones, are too grim to be supported by anyone inside the company.
So, while Windows 10 Mobile might be doomed even before it comes to market, I am surely very excited about the upcoming products Microsoft has in the pipeline in the coming months.