Despite Microsoft all but squashing its mobile efforts over the past two years, there are still some who hold out hope for the company’s operating system efforts, and interestingly enough it’s not Windows phone fanboys.
Based on a report from Norwegian news outlet digi.no, some 100 municipalities in Norway are looking to Microsoft for some serious answers about the future of Windows phone before many of them soon switch to Android.
According to the reports, over 100 municipalities dealing in health and human services industry in Norway currently use Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system on a myriad of old 1st party phone hardware but are considering a mass exodus to the Android platform soon.
The potential switch comes as Microsoft continues to remain silent regarding details on its future in mobile. As the company withdraws from the smartphone market, sheds its own first-party hardware, and offers little to no developer support for a singular targeted smartphone ecosystem, it is becoming harder for businesses in Norway to justify sticking with the platform beyond its “superior security.”
Microsoft’s lack of enthusiasm for smartphone specific solutions and traditional mobile app-based ecosystems has many, already looking to build Android-first internet-based alternatives to the company’s current Windows phone solutions.
“We are now in dialog with Tieto to develop a new generation Gerica mobile solution customized Android platform. This tool (for Android) will make it possible to open for the use of the Internet, downloading apps and so on without that information security is threatened.”
Despite overwhelming dysfunctions and missteps, some still hold out hope for a viable Windows 10 Mobile alternative and are currently in discussions with Microsoft regarding the platform’s future.
“Now it starts to get hard to get hold of Windows Phones. Microsoft has sold mobile their division, and there has been little availability of handsets in the market. We have an ongoing dialog with Microsoft. They are trying to reassure the market that 3-4 producers have plans to create Windows-based smartphones.”
Still, without any significant push on the mobile app front, mythical hardware projected for release sometime in 2018 and partnering OEM’s in constant compliant and withdrawal mode, it seems all but certain that Android will soon become the go-to operating system for the 100 plus municipalities in Norway considering more viable and healthy ecosystem solutions.
