To say Windows Phone is dying suggests that it had a life to begin with, and that simply isn't the case. Recent comScore Reports show that Windows Phone only enjoys a 2.9% market share, placing it well behind Android (52.3%) and Apple (43.6%) and just slightly ahead of Blackberry (1.2%).

Windows 10 didn't save Windows Phone as planned

The plan behind giving away Windows 10 upgrades for free was to prop up Windows Phone by unifying the OS across varying devices and platforms.The plan worked in some respects, seeing 270 million users take advantage of the free upgrade, however, that didn't translate into mobile crossover.So what does that mean for this behemoth tech giant?Time to pivot and regroup. And for Microsoft, that might just mean developing for Apple and Android.

Even Microsoft knows it's game over

At this year's Build Conference in San Francisco, Satya Nadella told an attentive crowd, "We don’t care if it’s Android or iOS, we have you covered." Wow.Now that's a stark about face.What Microsoft has been forced to recognize is that Windows may not be their bread and butter for much longer, and developing cloud-based services for their competitors just might be their ticket to remaining relevant.

It didn't help that they only sold Nokia phones

maxresdefault (1)In 2013, Microsoft bought Nokia and began developing its line of Lumia phones... and nothing else.Sure, they came in a variety of shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, it was still just the sameo-sameo.Apparently there were plans for other mobile manufacturers to jump aboard, but that never seemed to materialize, leaving the entire Windows Mobile platform in the hands of one brand-name handset.That one trick pony strategy worked exceedingly well for Apple, but didn't manifest itself in quite the same way for Microsoft.

Corporate warfare?

My theory is there was some corporate warfare going on, and somehow, Windows Phone was ousted by other phone manufacturers, rendering the whole format obsolete before it even got off the ground.I'd check Google and Apple's hands for blood; just saying.

Now what, Microsoft?

Somewhere out there, die hard Mac enthusiasts are reveling at the thought of Windows going the way of the dinosaur.It remains to be seen if Microsoft can stay relevant in this new mobile era. Sure, we all still own laptops and PCs, but our reliance on them is definitely shifting to mobile platforms.  A fact Google knows all too well, which is why the Chromebook was born.

"Microsoft's gonna need more than a few PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, and Excel spreadsheets to save their ass"

 Microsoft's future hinges on staying the course with what's working for them, like Microsoft Office, which remains the industry standard for business, educational and home use.But they'll need more than a few PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, and Excel spreadsheets to save their ass.

Enter Bots and Azure

Azure is a subscription cloud-based service for businesses that is gaining a strong foothold for Microsoft.But their best bet for the future lies in Bots, a new software agent that will help you place orders, book hotels and interact with customer service in new ways.
So in effect, those jobs that were once outsourced to India are now being outsourced to a computer avatar.

What's your take?

Is Microsoft imploding? Is there room in the market for a third mobile platform? Did you get a Windows Phone and feel burned? Post your comments below and check out these related articles:  featured images: (c) winbeta.org Windows Phone, (c) WindowsUnited

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What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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