Microsoft and Sony retreat

[Daddydoink]

I found this article of interest this morning....

http://telecoms.com/463782/microsoft-and-sony-continue-their-retreat-from-smartphones/

[Curr946]

Hmm. I hope the windows phone doesnt die.

[viridis]

Microsoft will struggle as they pretty much alienated themselves from other oems recently after the Nokia buyout.
Sony are doing exactly what they said they would, decreasing models to a few lines and making them higher spec. Using the revenue saved to increase finance into its component market to offer better camera sensors to oem's 
Trust me, Sony love the top ten selling mobiles list.

[jonsie]

As good as they are, Microsoft don't actually need to be associated with mobile phones. All their products sync across other platforms easily enough with the wealth of apps out there.

[viridis]

True that, the office cloud structure is very reliable and flawless.

[jonsie]

http://www.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-sales-us-plummet-all-time-low?bt_alias=eyJ1c2VySWQiOiJjM...

[Daddydoink]

I think the problem is that Microsoft want to be Apple and Apple want to be Microsoft.  It has always been the same, akin to Sega versus Nintendo.  Do I think W10M will be the final knoll?  I'm not so sure... I'm expecting that fairly soon the OS will become cloud based and the phone - you buy one, enter your log in and then it downloads to your device and maintains the sync.

You read it here first(ish), kids...

[viridis]

Apple haven't wanted to be Microsoft for nearly 10 years.
But they are connected.
Just as it SHOULD have been Sony that released a user friendly mp3 player, it also SHOULD have been Microsoft that released a smooth, easy to use portable computer phone.
In both cases it wasn't, and these giants of their industries basically failed to innovate correctly.
Now they are both small fry in their own markets.

[Daddydoink]

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@viridis wrote:
Apple haven't wanted to be Microsoft for nearly 10 years.
But they are connected.

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Not strictly true - Apple have always wanted to be Microsoft in terms of holding the OS and the Device.  Its market control.  Look at Apple Maps, Apple TV, iTunes, iCloud, iMessenger etc - everything revolves around the Apple OS.  The symbiosis of Apple to Microsoft is there, just a different focus.  Microsoft has focused on the OS (Windows), Office Apps, mainstream servers and architecture - a market that Apple have wanted a chunk of for years and have got in the form of creative industries (video, tv, imaging and design).  Microsoft likewise want a chunk of the consumer market as much of the business element - the home user beyond the Office, so tablets, email, VOIP, IM, etc. Common ground is the phone (iPhone/Lumia/Surface?!), tablet (iPad/Surface) and high end (Surface Pro/Macbook) mobile/desk computing.  

I agree, Microsoft and Sony should have both been leaders.  So, here is thinking outside the box - should they play catch up or should they play leapfrog?  How should they leapfrog?

[Curr946]

Well the mobile Os games is finished. It's ios and android but I just always thought Ms would become a strong third. But with the Chinese budget android phone now being as good, if nit better than the lower end wps it's clear that the games up. But.. In terms of high end (where I sit) if they fix this 950 and launch a decent surface phone I'm staying faithful. If this 950 keeps crashing and causing me no end of frustration then Samsung will be getting a wee chap at the door.