Microsoft's Mobile Shift: From Windows to Android and iOS

Strategic Insights -

Microsoft is making a significant shift in its mobile strategy, focusing on developing apps for Android and iOS devices rather than its own Windows operating system. This change in approach is a result of the company's recognition that most mobile developers focus on creating apps for Apple's iPhone and Google's Android devices, making Windows phones an increasingly hard sell. Under the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been prioritizing its mobile apps for iOS and Android, bringing its popular Office suite and OneDrive cloud storage service to these platforms.

Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft's mobile operating system, Windows, now holds only a 3 percent share of new smartphone sales, a significant drop from its previous market presence.
  • The company has released mobile versions of its Office apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, for iPhone, iPad, and Android variants, and made them nearly complete versions free to use.
  • Microsoft's email app, Outlook, has been redesigned to automatically sort emails into two queues, "Focused" and "Other," to help users be more efficient and productive.
  • The Outlook app integrates a calendar, allowing users to arrange meetings directly from email and eliminate the need to jump between apps.
  • Microsoft has also made its Online Drive storage service, OneDrive, available for free, offering unlimited online storage for users.
  • OneDrive's integration with Office is seamless, allowing users to create and edit documents directly from the cloud.
  • A OneDrive app on iPhone automatically backs up photos and videos taken with the phone's camera, providing users with a secure online backup.
  • The company's new strategy is a result of Satya Nadella's priorities, shifting from a "mobile-first, cloud-first" world to focusing on developing apps for iOS and Android devices.

Statistics:

  • Microsoft now holds a 3 percent share of new smartphone sales.
  • The company's new mobile export strategy aims to shift from Windows to Android and iOS devices.
  • Free versions of Microsoft's Office apps are available for iPhone, iPad, and Android variants.
  • The new Outlook app has a 24-second session length, with algorithms automatically dividing emails into "Focused" and "Other" queues.
  • OneDrive offers 1 terabyte of online storage for free, while Apple's iCloud charges $19.99 and Dropbox and Google charge $9.99 a month.

Sources:

  • Nick Wingfield ( NYT, 2015 )
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/technology/microsofts-new-mail-app-outlook-is-designed-for-the-24-second-session.html
  • Acompli ( acquired by Microsoft in December 2014 )
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Amazon