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[Sky Interloper]

So they are bailing on the US?

Possibly the US will be the exception to the rule, considering the influence of the American market for the world at large. The safest markets might be the EU (except Spain), India, Brazil and Mexico (maybe the rest of LA, I don't know their numbers)

 

[joshschw]

Sounds okay to me, they are spread so thin right now and I think it shows.

Why bother with 10 (sorry, 117) low end Lumia models for all these markets when they can partner with other low end OEM's and still penetrate the markets just as well if not better? These companies already have their infrastructures in place in these local markets as well.

I feel for the people losing their jobs but c'mon.... Look at where Lumia is right now and wonder WHY it had 7800 people working in it to begin with, let alone the actual higher number.

 

[Doffen]

So they are bailing on the US?

It's more likely that they are going to bail on Europe, because reasons.
All focus on India and Lumia 342.

 

[Paganmoon]

Going to be pissed if they bail on Europe...

 

[Milchjon]

Whatever they'll do, they'll need to control their communication quickly.

I'm sure they'll lose a bunch of sales if they can't get any "appeasement" announcements out soon, cause everyone will think Windows Phone is a dead platform (more dead, I mean).

 

[Funky Papa]

It's more likely that they are going to bail on Europe, because reasons.
All focus on India and Lumia 342.

Finland ATM

 

[Anton Sugar]

Whatever they'll do, they'll need to control their communication quickly.

I'm sure they'll lose a bunch of sales if they can't get any "appeasement" announcements out soon, cause everyone will think Windows Phone is a dead platform (more dead, I mean).

Already a bunch of "RIP Windows Phone" posts in the layoffs thread.

 

[Doffen]

Going to be pissed if they bail on Europe...

Bailing on Europe seems to be part of Microsoft's new "world domination"-strategy.
It worked out well for Xbox One and Surface RT.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Going to be pissed if they bail on Europe...

Europe is the only place Windows Phone does pretty well though.

 

[jagowar]

Going to be pissed if they bail on Europe...

Doubt that would be the case.. Europe is the one area there adoption is going well.

I hope that line about ending carrier partnerships also means at&t. That has held windows phone back in the us as much as anything.

I do see this as an overall good thing. Lumia had become too confusing and cluttered.

If the 940 and XL rumors pan out you can really see this strategy become clear.

520 and 520XL (guessing on the actual number but their low end phone)
640 and 640XL (mid range)
940 and 940XL (high end)

Pack in all the phone bands on them so they are universal (like iphone) and sell on as many carriers as you can get.

 

[maximum360]

What this really means is that we're not getting any of this anymore.


Lumia 430 Dual SIM
Lumia 435
Lumia 435 Dual SIM
Lumia 530
Lumia 530 Dual SIM
Lumia 532
Lumia 532 Dual SIM
Lumia 535
Lumia 535 Dual SIM
Lumia 540 Dual SIM
Lumia 630
Lumia 630 Dual SIM
Lumia 635
Lumia 638
Lumia 640
Lumia 640 Dual SIM
Lumia 640 XL
Lumia 640 XL LTE
Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM
Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM
Lumia 730
Lumia 730 Dual SIM
Lumia 735
Lumia 830
Lumia 930

And that I'm okay with. A flagship and a low end device is really all that is needed anyway. Maybe one mid-ranged phone is bad either.

 

[lastflowers]

What this really means is that we're not getting any of this anymore.


Lumia 430 Dual SIM
Lumia 435
Lumia 435 Dual SIM
Lumia 530
Lumia 530 Dual SIM
Lumia 532
Lumia 532 Dual SIM
Lumia 535
Lumia 535 Dual SIM
Lumia 540 Dual SIM
Lumia 630
Lumia 630 Dual SIM
Lumia 635
Lumia 638
Lumia 640
Lumia 640 Dual SIM
Lumia 640 XL
Lumia 640 XL LTE
Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM
Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM
Lumia 730
Lumia 730 Dual SIM
Lumia 735
Lumia 830
Lumia 930

This is exactly what I took away from this, unfortunate for all those who have lost their jobs, however.

 

[Doffen]

Europe is the only place Windows Phone does pretty well though.

But for how long? They are not being proactive here anymore and the growing shortage of popular/local apps isn't helping them. The other bigger OEM's are pushing their devices a lot harder and that results in Lumia just drowning.

I've currently seen more marketing for Galaxy S6 Edge than I've seen for any Lumia device combined here in Norway. And Lumia 800, 920 and 930 actually had some marketing here.

People need to know about the devices for them to sell.

 

[M3d10n]

There are way too many "almost the same" Lumia models. The 435 and 532 are basically the same phone, with only minimal changes to the camera. Same for the 535 and the 640. MS needs to focus on a much slimmer line and fill the gaps with Chinese OEMs like Blu.

 

[juliushandle]

I only say Pureview will be flushed because I'm guessing many of those layoffs will include Nokia staff involved in imaging. Yes Microsoft needs a flagship but they'll use off the shelf parts rather than pay engineers from Nokia.

 

[NeOak]

I only say Pureview will be flushed because I'm guessing many of those layoffs will include Nokia staff involved in imaging. Yes Microsoft needs a flagship but they'll use off the shelf parts rather than pay engineers from Nokia.

If true, they may end up joining their previous boss at Apple.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I feel like PureView had it's chance to be a "thing". Is it even much of an asset anymore? Do PureView phones outperform others? Unless they reinvent it in some way or make some other breakthrough, it wouldn't surprise me if they dropped it.

 

[juliushandle]

Surface is far more successful than Lumia and nobody cares about the shitty cameras in the Surface products.

I just hope the upcoming flagship has the Pureview tech.

 

[Milchjon]

It's hard being a MS fanboy these days.

In the end I don't have too much invested. I can switch to the competition somewhat easily. But I still have some kind of emotional attachment, which is kind of sad. There's a nagging feeling of "what could have been" that won't quite go away.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

[Dog doesn't mind that he is in the middle of a hellish inferno causing the flesh to melt off his bones]

 

[Anton Sugar]

[Dog doesn't mind that he is in the middle of a hellish inferno causing the flesh to melt off his bones]

That strip=the life of a Windows Phone fan.

 

[NeOak]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

 

[juliushandle]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

Good read, pretty spot on with my feelings.

 

[VanMardigan]

It's hard being a MS fanboy these days.

Truth is, you can be an MS fanboy and not have a windows phone, like most MS employees. I use onedrive, Xbox music, onenote, windows 7, 8.1, and 10, Office, Xbox, and Skype. Every day. Would I love to use Windows phone as my daily driver? Of course, but and maybe I will later this year, but it doesn't change my preference for Microsoft products and services.

 

[BeforeU]

Truth is, you can be an MS fanboy and not have a windows phone, like most MS employees. I use onedrive, Xbox music, onenote, windows 7, 8.1, and 10, Office, Xbox, and Skype. Every day. Would I love to use Windows phone as my fault driver? Of course, but and maybe I will later this year, but it doesn't change my preference for Microsoft products and services.

You ain't true fan if you don't use WP.

Day 1 supporter. Fuck yeah !!!

 

[captive]

Surface is far more successful than Lumia and nobody cares about the shitty cameras in the Surface products.

I just hope the upcoming flagship has the Pureview tech.

That's cause only idiots and old people use a tablet to take any type of picture at all.

 

[VanMardigan]

You ain't true fan if you don't use WP.

Day 1 supporter. Fuck yeah !!!

I probably owned a windows phone before you did, and have owned more WP phones throughout its lifespan than you, but ok.

 

[BeforeU]

I probably owned a windows phone before you did, and have owned more WP phones throughout its lifespan than you, but ok.

lol I am just kidding.

 

[hwalker84]

I probably owned a windows phone before you did, and have owned more WP phones throughout its lifespan than you, but ok.

He's new round' these parts. Take it easy on him.

 

[dLMN8R]

Truth is, you can be an MS fanboy and not have a windows phone, like most MS employees. I use onedrive, Xbox music, onenote, windows 7, 8.1, and 10, Office, Xbox, and Skype. Every day. Would I love to use Windows phone as my daily driver? Of course, but and maybe I will later this year, but it doesn't change my preference for Microsoft products and services.

Ok I wouldn't say "like most MS employees"

The vast majority of my coworkers definitely still use a Windows Phone. I see 920s, 830s, Icons, and 1520s all the time.

 

[captive]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

Pretty much disagree with everything he says. He wants Microsoft to continue to have an overwhelming amount of choices with phones, yet he says at the same time that all these choices have failed to gain much traction if any at all in most markets. Doesn't make any sense to me, he wants them to keep doing what's not working.

Also his arguments saying universal apps are going to be dead because of this is speculation at best. No one knows when the next MS phone is coming out, but if their new strategy actually works, it should lead to the success of universal apps. But there's also the whole chicken and egg thing, you need users to get devs to develop apps and you need apps to get users. That said, this comes from someone that is skeptical of universal apps, despite enjoying playing some mobile designed games on my Surface pro 3.

 

[hwalker84]

We got two more years

http://m.windowscentral.com/bloomberg-microsoft-make-own-phones-next-two-years

 

[Kinky John]

They might be the greatest 2 years of our lives!

 

[juliushandle]

Oh lord, just gimme a 1020 replacement with a fast camera.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

They might be the greatest 2 years of our lives!

.

 

[BeforeU]

Google's Motorola acquisition was a fail, but I always thought Microsoft's Nokia acquisition was a jackpot for them. Until today, was it just a waste of money?

We got two more years

http://m.windowscentral.com/bloomberg-microsoft-make-own-phones-next-two-years

But what about after?

 

[hwalker84]

But what about after?

iOS

 

[Sky Interloper]

Well, at least I get to have a supported Windows Phone until my next 2-year contract expires.

 

[juliushandle]

Flagship to feature a front facing camera with flash?

 

[Doffen]

We got two more years

http://m.windowscentral.com/bloomberg-microsoft-make-own-phones-next-two-years

Yeah, sounds like it's time to move on.
The dream is dead.

Metro, Lumia, Pureview, Zune, the hubs. Everything that once was is now just a memory.

iOS

And thanks to Microsoft's "service first" vision the move will be easy.

 

[juliushandle]

Metro, Lumia, Pureview, Zune, the hubs. Everything that once was is now just a memory.

Relax, MS will work those back in slowly. The world wasn't ready before.

 

[juliushandle]

Meanwhile, Steve Baller is begging and pleading his center not to leave his team.

 

[Anton Sugar]

But what about after?

Microsoft HoloPhone

believe

 

[JaggedSac]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

Yep, without mobile, devs will have even less incentive to develop a universal app.

 

[hwalker84]

Yep, without mobile, devs will have even less incentive to develop a universal app.

Universal apps for one ecosystem. LOL

 

[Sky Interloper]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

I understand where the writer is coming, but I fail to see how focusing the development of new handsets to a few models instead of the current deluge of devices inevitably signals the failure of the Universal App model. As everyone knows here, the main problem of the OS is marketshare, and the vicious cycle of app development that depends on it.

Of course, today's news are worrisome and can possibly signal the winding down of the mobile OS development (an stupid thought, as it would put their destinies in this kind of devices in the hands of Apple and Google), but things couldn't stay the same way in the eyes of the shareholders. It was neccesary to make changes.

 

[NeOak]

Well, thanks to today's news, 2 people i know are jumping to Android from a 920 and a 1520.

Other 2 will jump to whatever Nokia Android phone comes out next year from 920s.

 

[Totakeke]

http://arstechnica.com/information-...n-microsoft-to-a-future-of-desktop-obscurity/

Interesting

At least I'll echo the sentiments about the "tough choices" corporate double-talk. Satya has been playing the safest game and probably what investors wanted all along. Focus on high-margin businesses like the cloud while keeping away from low-margin ones like hardware as much as possible. I guess at least people love the guy eh?

Plus last I checked making phones only for businesses was the thing that people do before iPhones existed. Unless it's for engineering or very specific technical stuff, why would people want to use a Windows Phone in a corporate environment at this day and age of bring your own devices.

 

[JaggedSac]

I understand where the writer is coming, but I fail to see how focusing the development of new handsets to a few models instead of the current deluge of devices inevitably signals the failure of the Universal App model. As everyone knows here, the main problem of the OS is marketshare, and the vicious cycle of app development that depends on it.

Of course, today's news are worrisome and can possibly signal the winding down of the mobile OS development (an stupid thought, as it would put their destinies in this kind of devices in the hands of Apple and Google), but things couldn't stay the same way in the eyes of the shareholders. It was neccesary to make changes.

His point was that the deluge of models is necessary in the developing markets where price is key and having 6 or 7 models gives many pricing options. This market was pretty much the only one WP was doing anything in.

Well, thanks to today's news, 2 people i know are jumping to Android from a 920 and a 1520.

Other 2 will jump to whatever Nokia Android phone comes out next year from 920s.

Pussies




Got an M8 via insurance, loaded the latest Win10 and it's working great. Facebook is back to integrated in the hub where it wasn't on my 635 on Win10. Hadn't noticed it before, but MS' map app is pretty good now. No more need for Here.

 

[NeOak]

Pussies

lol no

They see it as a Sinking ship. You know, like most of the guys here saw Symbian^3 to Meego thanks to fucking Elop.