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Windows 10 Mobile is on life support, no new features in the pipeline

Microsoft has called time on Windows 10 Mobile development. (Source: Microsoft)
Microsoft has called time on Windows 10 Mobile development. (Source: Microsoft)
Microsoft has officially called time on any further development of its Windows 10 Mobile operating system. Once one of the dominant mobile operating systems on the market, it quickly faded with the rise of iOS and Android.

Microsoft has confirmed that it has abandoned the development of Windows 10 Mobile. The decision sees Windows as a mobile platform go the same way as BlackBerry’s mobile OS. Both were once dominant platforms, but have since faded away to naught in the face of the onslaught from iOS and then Android. The news comes not long after HP made it public that it was abandoning its Elite x3 high-end Windows 10 Mobile handset.

The news of the demise of Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile platform came from its head of Windows 10, Joe Belfiore. He made the announcement via Twitter in response to a question about whether its new mobile version of the Edge browser would come to Windows 10 Mobile. Belfiore explained that Edge will only be available on Android and iOS and that development of new features for Windows 10 Mobile had ceased. He did say, however, that Windows 10 Mobile will continue to get bug fixes and security updates, but that was all fans could expect.

Belfiore revealed that Microsoft had tried “VERY HARD” to promote the platform, including paying developers to write apps for Windows 10 Mobile, and even going as far as to write apps on behalf of the developers themselves. However, in the end, the “volume of users is too low for most companies to invest.” Belfiore also admitted that he was using an iPhone at present, while Bill Gates recently admitted to having switched to Android. With Edge being made available to users of both platforms, at least both can pretend to still be using a Microsoft mobile device whilst browsing.

The writing was on the wall for Windows 10 Mobile when HP decided to pull the pin on its Elite x3 Windows 10 Mobile device. While offering to support users of the device through to 2019, HP said it had originally planned to release a portfolio of similar Windows 10 Mobile devices. However, it had recently learnt that Microsoft was shifting its focus away from the platform. Now we know exactly what HP meant.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2017 10 > Windows 10 Mobile is on life support, no new features in the pipeline
Sanjiv Sathiah, 2017-10- 9 (Update: 2017-10- 9)