The debate about Microsoft embracing Android has been raised countless times in the past. Well, I think it’s time we should let it go since good things are slowly happening to Windows Phone, especially after Nadella took the helm.
Robert Scoble, an ex-Microsoft evangelist now working for Rackspace, passed along some interesting comments in an interview with Geekwire. He says Microsoft has lost the mobile war so they should simply give up Windows Phone and embrace Android. “That train has sailed,” said Scoble, who’s now at Rackspace as its Startup Liason Officer. “The real answer is, give up Windows Phone, go Android, and embrace and extend like you did with the Internet. But they don’t listen to me.”
When asked about his thoughts about the current situation of the software giant, Scoble said they were slow. “The problem with Microsoft is that it’s so committee-driven and slow. It’s not a startup anymore. It’s a big-ass company with a lot of people. And let’s be honest – you work at a big company because it’s comfortable,” he said. “Committees don’t do anything. I don’t know if Satya will change that. He’s trying. He did a hackathon today, that seems cool.”
Microsoft is definitely trying to get back into the mobile wars, but it appears they still have a long way to go — they are far behind, the features which were supposed to be present in the Windows Phone OS are being introduced now with Windows Phone 8.1. It’s not just the features — as they don’t even have half the number of apps present in the iOS and Google Play Store. Scoble also mentioned this as one of the reason why Microsoft is behind in the mobile market, “The problem is that Microsoft has 4 percent market share for mobile. The reason for that is that they have no apps, and there’s no love for developers of apps.”
These are some strong comments, but to be honest, the current picture is somewhat similar. Windows Phone is a rare sight when you go to media events across the globe, but that may change in the future. What are your thoughts about this?
