Former Nokia Developer Gives Reasons Why Windows Mobile Failed And Lack Of Apps Is Not One Of Them

We already know the end of the story and we are not going to repeat what happened. Nokia was acquired by Microsoft just at the time when both companies were threatened by the Android and iOS duopoly. Apple broke it with its new smartphone and Android took its first solid steps

Nokia saw how it was losing market share at a forced rate and Microsoft did not want to lose its share of the cake so the best thing, they thought, was to form an alliance. Together they opted to launch phones from the first with an operating system from the second and although at first the sensations were good, in the end the result could not have been more disastrous .But what was the reason for this disaster?

It is what was explained on Reddit by a Software Development Engineer who worked for Nokia who answers to the username of /u /jollycode. He himself, he has detailed in said forum what were in his opinion, the causes that led to the fall of Windows Mobile

The four causes of failure

For this developer there are four causes that led to the fall of the project and although it has always been commented that the lack of apps was a important factor, for this developer it is not one of the reasons why Windows and Nokia failed in their joint venture .

The first cause for this developer is that both companies did not see the potential of Google and its apps Android was taking its first steps, but Applications like Gmail, YouTube or Google Maps were fundamental and in the ecosystem that they set up in Windows Mobile they had no place.

Starting a project like this at that time was dooming it to failure. If we think about it, it is as if today we launched an operating system that does not support YouTube, Facebook or WhatsApp. Users will not find it interesting.

The second reason that argues. The launch of Windows Mobile coincided with the reign of Windows 8 on computers and after the good taste of Windows 7, the latest version of Windows was only reaping bad critics. In fact, it wasn't until Windows 8.1 that user impressions began to change.

This bad image of Windows 8 also affected Windows Mobile. Users associated Windows Mobile with Windows 8 and since the impressions were not good, many did not take the leap for fear of having a failed experience.

Thirdly, we must refer to a recent story from Microsoft, which spoke of an old company and for users with high purchasing power Old devices with an outdated operating system based on paid services and applications compared to Android and iOS, a revolution not seen until then.

Young people were not attracted to Microsoft who had lived with the bad decisions that Microsoft was making at that time. A paid Office, an outdated Windows or an Xbox that tried to prevent the use of second-hand games in the face of the modernity of iOS and Android. And Windows Mobile suffered the consequences.

And finally, a fourth cause. Microsoft and Nokia started to do things well, but it was too late. iOS and Android had legions of users who were unwilling to abandon their respective platforms. An iPhone user does not give up iOS or the Apple ecosystem in the same way that an Android user cannot do without Gmail, Google Maps or YouTube.

"

Microsoft had to rob>, by then, very well established. They had done things well, but… it was already too late. Faced with this position, there was no culture of loy alty to Windows Mobile or Windows Phone."

With these ingredients the cocktail, for /u/jollycode, the result was clear: failure would be absolute And we know the end, with a mobile pair ecosystem abandoned to its fate and a possible new project to face the launch of new devices with a renewed operating system. We will have to wait.

Source | Fossbytes