Ballmer to Microsoft: Windows Phone Needs Android Apps

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While I agree that you should be able to run Android apps on Windows Phones, I think Steve Ballmer might not be the best person to be giving advice to Microsoft.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reckons Microsoft's universal Windows app strategy will fail to fill its app gap. Instead, the company needs to ensure Windows Phone handsets can run Android apps.
 
Running another platform's apps tends to kill all native apps for your platform. Take a look at OS/2 and BB10 as examples of how doing this totally ruined their platforms. But I suppose Steve Ballmer tried for years to kill Microsoft's phone business, why should he stop now?
 
Quix said:
Running another platform's apps tends to kill all native apps for your platform. Take a look at OS/2 and BB10 as examples of how doing this totally ruined their platforms. But I suppose Steve Ballmer tried for years to kill Microsoft's phone business, why should he stop now?
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Not entirely positive but I believe MS isn't directly supporting other platforms but rather making their dev tools port/wompile apps to Windows.. feed it a iOS app and it spits out a MS compatible version.
 
dandirk said:
Not entirely positive but I believe MS isn't directly supporting other platforms but rather making their dev tools port/wompile apps to Windows.. feed it a iOS app and it spits out a MS compatible version.
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Project Astoria, which was the Android support for Windows phones that Microsoft was working on that's reportedly been shelved, was more of an emulator that took native Android apks that only needed to be deployed to the Windows Store as long as they didn't have hooks to this like Google Play and certain other services. The easiest way to get apps but only indirectly and with a lot of overhead.
 
As a long time WP user, I jumped ship and grabbed a 6S Plus. The new Windows Phones look nice, but you can't do much with them.
 
Same here. I miss the user experience, but required the Android apps for work
 
I'm scared to buy a Windows Phone now. The newer 950 & 950XL are only available on AT&T. Verizon always treated the platform like shit, but if they don't carry them it's almost as good as dead. Excellent devices, but lack of support kills it for me.

I'm going to drag out this 928 as long as I can. Might pick up a Nokia Icon used to replace it.

But, I feel my next on contract phone will be an iPhone.... Not that I really prefer them, but it's what's supported and has more active development on apps and hardware. Unless Verizon puts an effort into a nice CDMA 950XL, then I'd be all over that.
 
Ur_Mom said:
I'm scared to buy a Windows Phone now. The newer 950 & 950XL are only available on AT&T. Verizon always treated the platform like shit, but if they don't carry them it's almost as good as dead. Excellent devices, but lack of support kills it for me.
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Indeed a huge problem. And indeed I think the 950s will be the last of the Lumia line.
 
heatlesssun said:
Not trying to challenge you on this, just curious what smartphone apps would be required for work.
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I don't have any official "required" android apps, but some of the network tools come in handy.

I have one that displays WiFi signal strength & channels that comes in handy for setting up or trouble shooting access points.

What Microsoft needs to do is release a bunch of cheap/free apps for Windows 8.1 to close the app gap.
 
Quix said:
Running another platform's apps tends to kill all native apps for your platform. Take a look at OS/2 and BB10 as examples of how doing this totally ruined their platforms. But I suppose Steve Ballmer tried for years to kill Microsoft's phone business, why should he stop now?
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Embrace, extend, and extinguish... its the MS way.. They did it with JAVA and ended up getting taken to court. This just sounds like the same old microsoft but this time they are dealing with a juggernaut
 
Maybe they're pivoting their developer porting initiative to focus on iOS apps instead of android apps , because they usually run better? Either way they need to iron out the app drought within the next 6 months they only have one shot to capitalize on their latest success, Windows 10.
 
elzeus said:
Maybe they're pivoting their developer porting initiative to focus on iOS apps instead of android apps , because they usually run better? Either way they need to iron out the app drought within the next 6 months they only have one shot to capitalize on their latest success, Windows 10.
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I agree. I don't know how well this will translate to phones though. However I think it could help out a lot on the tablet side. Depending on how much effort goes into iPad Pro apps, I could see developers interesting in porting those over to Windows as there's a lot of large tablets in that market with an audience that I think is willing to spend money on good apps especially of the productivity kind.
 
Is windows 10 mobile actually released? I'm still waiting for the update for my Lumia on Cricket.
 
I have a Lumia 640. The OS is excellent but the app gap is huge. I agree with Ballmer on this one.
 
Staples said:
I have a Lumia 640. The OS is excellent but the app gap is huge. I agree with Ballmer on this one.
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The mobile app gap is the single biggest problem Microsoft has IMHO. They certainly are trying to fix it and I think it demonstrates just how incredibly hard it is to get apps without market share in an established market.

They have to do an x86 Win32 compatible phone and OS, i.e. the much rumored Surface Phone and get OEMs involved as well. That looks to be coming sometime next year by all of the rumors. Will it be enough? It certainly won't vault Microsoft into more than 3rd place but it could mean the difference between the end of Windows phones and their continued existence.

The convergence definitely seems to be working for Microsoft in tablets. I doubt it will be as effective in the phone market but I think it will at least give Microsoft an offering that has some desirability that their competitors can't match.
 
Advil said:
Is windows 10 mobile actually released? I'm still waiting for the update for my Lumia on Cricket.
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Yea I believe the official RTM (10586) came out with the 950s. I've been running W10 on my HTC One M8 for months now however, through the Insider Program. To be quite honest, aside from the lack of apps, I prefer it over android.
 
Microsoft to Ballmer: SHUTUP!. He likes to blame things but never took the time to get them done. Sure, Vista was the reason you abandoned Mobile, Ballmer, not your inability to use all the resources you had at hand.
 
ManofGod said:
Microsoft to Ballmer: SHUTUP!. He likes to blame things but never took the time to get them done. Sure, Vista was the reason you abandoned Mobile, Ballmer, not your inability to use all the resources you had at hand.
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I fail to see the great things Microsoft has done post-Ballmer that warrant this statement.

I want to say Microsoft is late to the party on this generation or type of smart phones, but they have historically proven they can come from behind and eat the established leader in a field's lunch when they really work at it. It just seems there have been a number of big fumbles throughout Microsoft's attempt to win phones. I had a coworker who absolutely loved his Windows Phone 7 that he happened to purchase at a bad time. Microsoft left him at Windows Phone 7.8 (I think I'm relaying the story correctly). He left Windows Phone an unhappy and disillusioned customer. He went to Android. I haven't talked to him lately, but the chances are probably greater that a carrier or manufacturer would do the same or worse unless you want to root your device. He doesn't like Apple on principal (which is silly to me - buy what works best for you regardless of the name on the hardware or software).

I'm no Ballmer fan, but I am also no more or less a Nadella fan.
 
I just updated my PC to Windows 10 and finally it is a real experience integration between the PC and Phone!
I like it. Let's see if it will help Windows Phones to succeed.
 
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