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Windows Phone is dead.
You know it, I know it.
Lumia, how we miss you.
In any case, Microsoft is nowhere to be seen among any of this.
Save for a few barely-maintained Android apps, Microsoft has largely given up on all of its smartphone aspirations.
Yet, having very little presence on mobile I would argue is a huge issue for Microsoft.
The Surface Duo represents some of the most elegant hardware Microsoft has ever committed to retail. But, it was held back heavily by its software.
Hindsight is 20-20 of course.CEO Satya Nadella previously lamented Microsoft’s hasty shut down of Windows Phone.
Let’s go crazy and indulge me in some thought experiments for a moment.
Google is currently appealing the ruling, but theU.S.
The Surface Duo 2 was flawed, but it was also hamstrung by Google’s rules.
But we’re not here to discuss search today, although it is part of the puzzle.
(And hey, Microsoft Edge is pretty great these days, damnit).
Either way, this isn’t about necessarily simply railing on Google (as fun as it is).
This Surface Slim phone concept would’ve been a great conduit for Microsoft Copilot.
People use Chrome because it’s arguably the best.
People use Google because it is also the best.
The issue is that competing products aren’t even given the vaguest opportunity to grow and offer something different.
That’s why Microsoft was forced to give up Internet Explorer’s dominance in the first place.
It was holding the internet back.
What if there were other, better ways to do search?
What would Bing look like if it actuallyhadthe data it needed so that offer more accurate results?
And indeed, the DOJ was also at one point considering forcing Google to divest Android itself.
What if Android was truly open?
Clearly Microsoft wants to be in mobile, it’s just waiting for the right time.
Clearly Microsoft wants to be in mobile, it’s just waiting for the right time.
The issue with building devices on Google’s Android revolve around those pesky rules.
It also has very anti-competitive rules baked into it.
As of right now, Google’s control over Android would prevent that.
But, even if the DOJ did spin off Android, it’s heavily unlikely to happen.
TheSurface Duo 3 was cancelled, and the Surface Neo tablet never even hit production.
Unless,unlessit was fully cracked open by the United States regulatory powers.
