This is correct, although this isn't likely. Replicating the end-user cloud services Google provides is hard enough, but replicating the app store could be much

This is correct, although this isn't likely. Replicating the end-user cloud services Google provides is hard enough, but replicating the app store could be much harder since so many Android apps are written to call Google Play Services APIs. Microsoft would have to spend considerable resources getting developers to rewrite (and even harder, maintain!) their Android apps to target Microsoft equivalents for Play Services. Perhaps an easier sell to developers than "hey, learn C# and build your app from scratch for Windows Phone", but easier than impossible does not necessarily mean possible.