(Newswire.net — September 29, 2017) — The founder of Microsoft Bill Gates told Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace that he recently transferred to a phone powered by Google’s Android OS, CNN Tech reports.
The company has officially stopped its Windows phone line in July, due to the lack of interest from consumers. The main reason that the praised Microsoft platform failed to exceed 0.1 percent of market share in the first quarter of 2017 is the same reason why customers started buying the Windows phone in the first place – the security.
Once again it is proven that content overrides the security concern. When considering installing an app on their smart phones, most of the customers don’t care whether the desired app has a contract with Microsoft, they just want to get it and use it.
The last straw was killing the support for messenger meaning that users can read a message but couldn’t reply.
The word is that Microsoft killed its Windows phone platform to make a room for Microsoft Surface, a new platform that should hit the market soon. However, without fully opening towards developers at the app market, the new platform may experience the same fate.
Interestingly, the very strategy that lifted Microsoft to a tech giant was neglected in the Windows phone project. Comparative advantage over Apple was compatibility and opening the platform to various developers. That created quickly growing support, both in terms of hardware and software that made the company what it is today.
The lesson is simple: quantity over quality. Consumers don’t like limitations and they are prepared to sacrifice quality to get what they want. The same fact turned 1978’s VHS into the global standard over Sony’s Betamax who had better quality but lacked in the number of movies it supported.
The fate of the Windows phone has been sealed the moment it released since it lacked apps you can download from app store, while an Android platform user has access to a multitude of options.
Microsoft’s next step is yet to come. Meanwhile, Bill Gates is using an Android platform phone but he didn’t disclose a model. However, he shared information that highly anticipated Microsoft Office 2019 would come with great new features and accessibility using AI and voice commands.