This would be a good decision for MS. I think they're seeing with Samsung that relying on partners for phones might be trickier than hoped. By controlling the

This would be a good decision for MS. I think they're seeing with Samsung that relying on partners for phones might be trickier than hoped. By controlling the full stack, ala Apple, they can probably deliver a much better experience. And unlike PCs, since subsidies dominate much phone pricing, at least in the influential US, a race to the bottom in pricing means very little. The cost of the phone is dominated by the plan cost -- therefore a lot of OEMS competing on phone cost helps very little. And as Apple has shown, a single popular phone can demand better pricing in the supply chain.