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No, it will most definitely not fail and they don't have Android as plan B. The mobile phone market (outside of Appleland) is overwhelmingly dominated by distr

No, it will most definitely not fail and they don't have Android as plan B. The mobile phone market (outside of Appleland) is overwhelmingly dominated by distribution. People go and get a smartphone, recommended by the sales employee. Which phone does the employee recommend? The one which his boss tells him to. Which one is that? The one HQ tells him to. Which one is that? The one with the best rebates. I will leave you to think about which one that might be. Android doesn't make money. Not for google, not for OEMs. Microsoft can turn OEMs from breakeven to profitable with a magic wand. Guess what? They already did that in the 90s! On top of that, it's a very good OS so it will get adoption by itself, especially in the corporate and mid-tier markets. And don't even try to say that developers will not get on board. They will. Remember the office365 in the beginning. "Can't win on the web, no integration, developers choose google apps". Yeah. Right. Windows is the most important platform in the world. Gradually developers will get on board.

petra 11y ago
If that was true , why haven't we seen micrososft already win over android ?
- blumkvist 11y ago
  Because the OS has to meet OEM and consumer expectations. There is a saying about "every other OS release" of Windows. You can wager with confidence on the accuracy of that heuristic.
- kozukumi 11y ago
  Because Microsoft's efforts were on the stupid new modern UI and Windows 8 under Sinofsky. Seriously that guy did so much damage to Microsoft. There is no reason Microsoft should have been in 3rd place in the mobile market (4th really behind BB but BB fucked up too). Windows Phone was late and crappy. It still is crappy. Devs don't want to develop for the platform no matter what MS does now. How can they get the devs back? Universal Apps is Microsoft's way but I am not too sure if that is what devs want. Microsoft are still desperately trying to push one app for mobiles, tablets and traditional computers. I like the idea in theory but then again communism sounds good in theory. Really though we don't have the hardware to fully realise that yet and I don't think we will for the next few years. Personally I prefer how Apple are doing things with keeping computers and mobile/tablet (touch devices basically) separate. Having said that I don't really like how Apple does things a lot of the time. I am a Windows computer and iOS phone user. My phone is a device to get work done so the closed environment isn't a big deal whereas on my computer I want more control. Android is good but until recently it wasn't what I really wanted and now I am too deep in the iOS world to switch my phone to an Android. I think the problem MS has is people don't want to move to Windows Phone. There is nothing WP does that I can't do on iOS or Android.
kozukumi 11y ago
Windows Phone 7.5, 8, 8.1, now 10. Windows 10 has seen over 110 million activations according to Microsoft yet no figures regarding uptake on Windows Store apps. We still see apps leaving the Windows Phone platform (Mint app last week for example). We don't see any devs praising Universal Apps. Are those 110 million users buying lots of apps? Microsoft are shouting loudly about the number of Windows 10 users but are saying nothing about how those numbers are affecting their Windows Store apps. Also Android does make money for Google, not sure why you think it doesn't.
- blumkvist 11y ago
  I was gonna reply until I read your last sentence and figured it would be pointless, since you deny simple facts. It's too bad comment threads are locked after some time on HN. It would be swell to come back to this conversation 2 years down the road.
  - kozukumi 11y ago
    Android brings people into the Google eco-system which is where they make their money. They want people using their services which is why they give Android away for free. They make money on every app, video, music purchase. People who pay for Google Music, etc. Saying Android doesn't make them money is ridiculous. Are you just looking at the Android division as a single business unit working at a loss or something? You need to look at the bigger picture I think.
    - blumkvist 11y ago
      Oh god! Google uses android to fuel users! Shocking! Thank you for opening my ignorant eyes to this bigger picture, previously hidden to me.
      - kozukumi 11y ago
        So what exactly are you trying to say then? How does Android lose Google money?

petra 11y ago

If that was true , why haven't we seen micrososft already win over android ?

blumkvist 11y ago
Because the OS has to meet OEM and consumer expectations. There is a saying about "every other OS release" of Windows. You can wager with confidence on the accuracy of that heuristic.
kozukumi 11y ago
Because Microsoft's efforts were on the stupid new modern UI and Windows 8 under Sinofsky. Seriously that guy did so much damage to Microsoft. There is no reason Microsoft should have been in 3rd place in the mobile market (4th really behind BB but BB fucked up too). Windows Phone was late and crappy. It still is crappy. Devs don't want to develop for the platform no matter what MS does now. How can they get the devs back? Universal Apps is Microsoft's way but I am not too sure if that is what devs want. Microsoft are still desperately trying to push one app for mobiles, tablets and traditional computers. I like the idea in theory but then again communism sounds good in theory. Really though we don't have the hardware to fully realise that yet and I don't think we will for the next few years. Personally I prefer how Apple are doing things with keeping computers and mobile/tablet (touch devices basically) separate. Having said that I don't really like how Apple does things a lot of the time. I am a Windows computer and iOS phone user. My phone is a device to get work done so the closed environment isn't a big deal whereas on my computer I want more control. Android is good but until recently it wasn't what I really wanted and now I am too deep in the iOS world to switch my phone to an Android. I think the problem MS has is people don't want to move to Windows Phone. There is nothing WP does that I can't do on iOS or Android.

kozukumi 11y ago

Windows Phone 7.5, 8, 8.1, now 10. Windows 10 has seen over 110 million activations according to Microsoft yet no figures regarding uptake on Windows Store apps. We still see apps leaving the Windows Phone platform (Mint app last week for example). We don't see any devs praising Universal Apps. Are those 110 million users buying lots of apps? Microsoft are shouting loudly about the number of Windows 10 users but are saying nothing about how those numbers are affecting their Windows Store apps. Also Android does make money for Google, not sure why you think it doesn't.

blumkvist 11y ago
I was gonna reply until I read your last sentence and figured it would be pointless, since you deny simple facts. It's too bad comment threads are locked after some time on HN. It would be swell to come back to this conversation 2 years down the road.
- kozukumi 11y ago
  Android brings people into the Google eco-system which is where they make their money. They want people using their services which is why they give Android away for free. They make money on every app, video, music purchase. People who pay for Google Music, etc. Saying Android doesn't make them money is ridiculous. Are you just looking at the Android division as a single business unit working at a loss or something? You need to look at the bigger picture I think.
  - blumkvist 11y ago
    Oh god! Google uses android to fuel users! Shocking! Thank you for opening my ignorant eyes to this bigger picture, previously hidden to me.
    - kozukumi 11y ago
      So what exactly are you trying to say then? How does Android lose Google money?