Between the release of Windows 10 Fall Creators Edition and the announcement of a new Surface Book, news revealed that Microsoft was firmly focused on the desktop. But as the company works to build its future ecosystem, it’s keenly aware that no play in the space is complete without a mobile strategy. What shape that strategy will take, however, has been pretty unclear in the wake of Windows Phone's long, drawn-out death.
Earlier this month, the company appeared to pronounce its proprietary mobile platform dead for good, as one time Windows Phone proselytizer Joe Belfiore threw in the towel on Twitter, declaring that "building new features/hardware aren't the focus" after years of trying and trying again to make a vertically-integrated, Windows-based smartphone business model work.
In a conversation with TechCrunch to mark the launch of the news, Microsoft Windows and Devices Group EVP Terry Myerson shed more light on Microsoft’s way forward in mobile.
"Our customers are using phones with their PCs," the executive explained. "They can start on their phones and continue on their PCs or consoles. We are focusing on scenarios with the phones people are using today […] end to end scenarios to get stuff done to participate in the gaming experience."
Myerson would not reveal more about the company’s strategy beyond that - "I don’t want to answer more specifically," he said when pressed - but it’s easy to begin connecting the dots of Microsoft’s new mobile road map.
Along with this morning’s new Windows 10 release, the software giant is releasing versions of its Edge browser for both iOS and Android - a tacit acknowledgement that the company needs to embrace the leading mobile operating systems in order to maintain relevance on the desktop.
With the quiet admission that Microsoft-branded smartphones are taking a back seat (or maybe more accurately, being left on the side of the road), Edge is shaping up to be more than just a simple browser for the company.
Earlier this month, the company appeared to pronounce its proprietary mobile platform dead for good, as one time Windows Phone proselytizer Joe Belfiore threw in the towel on Twitter, declaring that "building new features/hardware aren't the focus" after years of trying and trying again to make a vertically-integrated, Windows-based smartphone business model work.
In a conversation with TechCrunch to mark the launch of the news, Microsoft Windows and Devices Group EVP Terry Myerson shed more light on Microsoft’s way forward in mobile.
"Our customers are using phones with their PCs," the executive explained. "They can start on their phones and continue on their PCs or consoles. We are focusing on scenarios with the phones people are using today […] end to end scenarios to get stuff done to participate in the gaming experience."
Myerson would not reveal more about the company’s strategy beyond that - "I don’t want to answer more specifically," he said when pressed - but it’s easy to begin connecting the dots of Microsoft’s new mobile road map.
Along with this morning’s new Windows 10 release, the software giant is releasing versions of its Edge browser for both iOS and Android - a tacit acknowledgement that the company needs to embrace the leading mobile operating systems in order to maintain relevance on the desktop.
With the quiet admission that Microsoft-branded smartphones are taking a back seat (or maybe more accurately, being left on the side of the road), Edge is shaping up to be more than just a simple browser for the company.
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