With posts like this, it seems that Microsoft is starting to publicly acknowledge the end for Windows Phone/Mobile.Of course we'll continue to support the platform.. bug fixes, security updates, etc. But building new features/hw aren't the focus. 😟 https://t.co/0CH9TZdIFu— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) October 8, 2017
So should we just shut up and move on?
It's not that clear-cut. There are still some things to consider.
If you've built Phone/Win10Mobile apps that doesn't mean you should abandon them. If you still have users keep serving them while it makes sense to do so.
Windows isn't dead.
It's part of three areas that cover the broad spectrum of computing that Microsoft support.
There's Azure for Web/Cloud
There's Xamarin for X-Platform Mobile development
There's UWP for everything else (PC, Gaming, IOT, & more)
This still leaves lots of questions/thinking points.
Questions specific to the Windows app ecosystem
- What, exactly, does "not the focus" mean?
- Will anything be done to push the consumer focus of UWP apps?
- Will the mobile version of Windows 10 ever go away?
- What about small tablets? Will they ever be a thing? And, if so what version of Win10 would they run?
- What about Windows on ARM?
- Will we see greater investment and support for UWP and Xamarin? So there's a single solution for client apps on all platforms?
Broader questions
- Is it good that there are only 2 mobile platforms (iOS & Android) out there?
- Are there other mobile platforms that could make a challenge or drive innovation?
- How important are devices other than the portable computers we carry in our pockets?
- Will anything ever come of "continuum" style devices where a mobile can become a PC or it becomes your personal, portable storage, and identity?
- Will people ever get over the silver bullet idea of "write once, run everywhere" (with no specialist knowledge or extra effort required)?
- When will offline web support be good enough we can all just use the web all the time?
- How will Microsoft's push for AR/VR/MR with dedicated devices sit with so many other platforms building solutions on top of mobile?
- Does any of this really matter?
One of the joys of technology is that there are always more questions.....
Could PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) make Windows Mobile relevant again, as iOS/Android native stores wouldn't hold all the cards? Perhaps that's the hope in the medium term eg. perhaps 2 years time?
ReplyDeleteIt's catch-22. People wouldn't build PWAs just to reach WinMobile when there's no share. If iOS & Android had good PWA support then what's for WinMobile to do?
DeleteI've always been a flag waver for Windows mobile (or whatever they're calling it this month). I think it has a great user experience. I also have an RT tablet which I think is marvellous. But even I switched to ios two years ago when the lack of apps made Windows untenable.
ReplyDelete