Microsoft won’t give up on Windows 10 Mobile, but it will focus primarily on enterprise users rather than the average smartphone owner, according to Kevin Gallo, the company’s Corporate Vice President of Windows.
As Windows Mobile’s share of the smartphone market falls, doubts about its future have risen. Earlier this year, reports claimed the platform just isn’t a priority for Microsoft in 2016, but the company has since told fans it is still “committed” to its future.
That sentiment was echoed by Gallo during a presentation at Build Tour in London.
“Windows Phone is fully supported. We’re fully behind it. We’re not abandoning the phone,” he said. “There’s really no change in what our direction or strategy is with respect to releasing the Windows Phone software.”
There might be no change in direction with Windows Phone releases, but there’s no doubt Microsoft has changed its focus. “At a later Windows developer user group event though, Gallo was more nuanced,” reports The Register.
“The company will focus primarily on the Enterprise segment, he told attendees. Nokia’s strategy of pushing out low-end consumer devices was never going to make any money, he explained, and the business segment is Microsoft’s core strength.”
This probably won’t help Microsoft’s app problem — the main reason why Windows Mobile is failing — but it might not matter. The platform may be lacking big titles that are available on Android and iOS, but few of them will ever be needed by enterprise users.
Gallo made no mention of Microsoft’s rumored Surface Phone during these events, but he did hint at a new handset aimed at enterprise users.