Windows Phone has a new app problem
Microsoft's apps are evaporating
I gave up on Windows Phone almost a year ago, citing a lack of apps and Microsoft's mobile platform getting left behind.
While the app gap has always been a problem, Windows Phone is now
five years old and it's still facing new challenges. Over the past year
developers haven't flocked to Microsoft's platform to improve its app
situation. Instead, more and more high-profile apps have actually
disappeared. Mint's removal this week is the latest, angering Windows Phone fans, but it's not the first, nor will it be the last.
American Airlines, Chase Bank, Bank of America, NBC, Pinterest, and
Kabam have all discontinued their Windows Phone apps in the past year.
These huge apps have simply disappeared or will no longer be updated.
Some companies have cited a lack of Windows Phone users, and others have
remained silent, but each removal has put Microsoft another step behind
in the mobile race.
It's not just third-party apps disappearing, either. Microsoft has
removed several MSN apps and its popular Photosynth app, and the
software maker has also killed off a number of special Lumia camera
apps. Windows Phone users still don't have great Skype or Office apps
like Microsoft produces for the iPhone. It's stunning that, after five
years, the best experience of using Skype or Office on a phone isn't on
one powered by Windows. This will change in Windows 10 Mobile, but it's
not available yet.
Lumia sales are heading in the wrong direction
Microsoft's Lumia sales are starting to take a hit as a result. Microsoft sold only 5.8 million Lumia Windows Phones last quarter,
compared with the 9.3 million sold in the same period last year. That's
a nearly 40 percent decrease, and it's not the way Lumia sales should
be heading. HTC, Samsung, and Sony don't care about Windows Phone, and
Microsoft still ships more than 90 percent of all phones running the OS.
Microsoft is now focusing on a "more effective phone portfolio" with "better products," which will probably result in a Surface Phone. That's fewer phones catering to the small percentage of people who still want to use a Windows Phone.
Windows Phone still has a dead app problem
Windows Phone's dead app problem also persists. Instagram was released nearly two years ago,
and it still doesn't have video support. There are many other apps,
like Twitter, that barely get updated with the latest features. There
are third-party alternatives for most apps, but it shouldn't take
Facebook two years to get video in Instagram for Windows Phone. "Facebook is all in on Windows 10,"
according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, so hopefully Instagram on Windows
Phone will get video support at some point in the next two years.
Zuckerberg's commitment to Windows 10 is part of Microsoft's hope
that this operating system will finally turn things around for its phone
platform. Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8
users, and more than 110 million machines are already running the software.
Microsoft is trying to create a halo effect so developers create
universal apps that run across PCs, phones, tablets, and even the Xbox
One. That's been the big promise of Windows 10, but we haven't really
seen it in action yet.
Microsoft is also opening up Windows 10 to allow Android and iOS developers to easily port their code
into universal apps. We heard a lot about this back at Microsoft's
Build developer conference in April, but there haven't been any big app
announcements yet. It could certainly help the app gap, but with Android and iOS dominating, it certainly feels a little too late to make a significant difference.
It's easy to blame the lack of apps on developers, but they've been
saddled with a platform that is constantly rebooting. Windows Phone 7
launched as a Windows Mobile reboot back in October 2010. Windows Phone 8
then launched two years later in October 2012 and existing handsets couldn't upgrade, and apps needed to be heavily updated. Windows Phone 8.1
arrived last year, finally bringing many features lacking from
Microsoft's platform. Now, Microsoft is on the verge of rebooting once
again with Windows 10 Mobile.
Windows Phone has been rebooted enough
With constant Windows Phone change, the only thing that has remained
persistent is a lack of apps. Windows 10 Mobile is rumored to arrive to existing handsets in December,
but Microsoft still hasn't officially revealed a launch date. A lot is
changing in the new OS, with different built-in apps, a new design and
navigation, and Microsoft's expectation that developers will create
universal apps. It's unlikely to make any difference to the fate of
Windows Phone overall. It's another reset, and Microsoft can't keep
hitting the reboot button forever.
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