Huawei Drops Windows Phone: Is this the End for the Microsoft Mobile Device?

Huawei Drops Windows Phone: Is this the End for the Microsoft Mobile Device?

I’m not a fan of the Windows Phone.

There. I said it.

I really don’t know anyone that is a fan of the phone. Microsoft tried and tried with it, with dozens of catchy commercials over the years, demonstrations of its amazing compatibility with their current PC operating system Windows 8.1 (and we know how well loved Windows 8 is) and even partnering with device stalwart Nokia in a vain attempt at salvaging the mobile device platform.

It honestly didn’t work. Even Nokia lost so much money in the deal that they were somehow forced to sell their hardware business to Microsoft as a mere pittance compared to what they were worth at one time.

I’m not the only one that doesn’t like the Windows Phone, apparently.

And to back up this claim, it seems that one of their last major device manufacturers, Chinese company Huawei, has publicly announced that they are dropping the Windows Phone from their rotation of devices, effectively pretty much immediately.

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Speaking to The Seattle Times, Joe Kelly of Huawei said “We didn’t make any money in Windows Phone. Nobody made any money in Windows Phone.” It doesn’t seem that he’s prone to hyperbole. It’s not hard to see that few, if any, companies have made money with the last-place mobile platform.

This is a huge blow for Microsoft’s mobile division. Huawei is one of the largest smartphone makers in the world, coming in in the top five in the entire world this year alone, and their profits have only been on the rise. And given that they’re the primary manufacturer in China, a country with a massive, massive population, I could understand if Microsoft is sweating losing their contract with Huawei a little more than they’re letting on.

Only a small number of companies are left to build any new Windows Phone Microsoft may (foolishly) try to launch. HTC is having its own problems right now, Samsung doesn’t even promote or advertise that they make and distribute Windows Phones, and the few Chinese makers don’t have the reach that Huawei, one of the only builders to promote the phone, had in the eastern market.

Goodnight, sweet prince.

Goodnight, sweet prince.

There was a lot of hope for the Windows Phone early on, with people even predicting that it would be as popular, if not more popular, than the current World Number One platform Android. And given that it’s only been around a few years, it’s surprising that there’s not more of a presence in the market with the device at least by default. But the market share for Windows Phone is dropping steadily every day as new Android devices like the Nexus 6 and the latest iPhone 6, even with its issues, begin to snatch up new and existing customers faster than Microsoft can compensate.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone now accounts for, and I’m not even joking here, less than 3 percent of the global market share, lagging so far behind Android and iOS that their presence barely even matters.

Does this mean the death knell for the Windows Phone? I’m not going to say yes, but it definitely doesn’t look good.

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