Post-Nokia era: Microsoft's "hardening" path becomes clearer

　　"If you develop an application that can be used on different hardware, so that users can get the same seamless customer experience whether using PC, tablet or mobile phone, this is a good solution." Axel Steinman said that Microsoft is now on the road of transformation to a "device manufacturer + service provider", and the unified platform Win 8 can reflect Microsoft's unique value during the transformation period.

　　Microsoft is reconstructing its business in all aspects in the post-PC era, and the business model of Win 8, which Microsoft has high hopes for, has become Microsoft's future path. Axel Steinman said that embedding advertisements into applications, allowing the entire operating system to support the application, and then sharing profits with developers is a good business model for Microsoft. "If a customer wants to download a program, he will download it if he accepts advertisements, and he will not download it if he does not like it."

　　On the mobile Internet side, Microsoft's advertising business is blossoming. It is understood that the intelligent search in Windows 8.1 can not only search results from Wikipedia through Microsoft's search engine Bing, but also search users' personal files and even applications. Microsoft will also monetize the web-based advertising business Bing Ads, allowing advertisers to set up separate campaigns in Bing and let users of Bing, Yahoo and Windows desktop search see them.

　　However, Microsoft still has a long way to go in China. Although Microsoft's MSN business is still retained in China, Microsoft has to face the reality of declining user numbers and complaints. Axel Steinman said that Microsoft hopes to better bring Skype into the Chinese market and hopes that in the future, Skype's business model, including advertising, will be introduced to China.

　　"Will Skype compete directly with WeChat in the future?" Axel Steinman said. "It's too early to say, but we think there is still such an opportunity in China."

　　Windows Phone's biggest problem isn't a lack of apps

　　The key to Windows Phone building a good reputation among users is to simplify things.

　　After the launch of the new iPhone, Apple's innovation capabilities became the focus of discussion, and the debate between Android and iOS also resurfaced.

　　Given that Android and iOS together account for more than 90% of the smartphone market, it's no wonder that they dominate the mobile industry headlines. With BlackBerry fading, the only hope left to disrupt the current mobile landscape is Microsoft's Windows Phone, even though it's still a distant third behind the leaders.
 

　　But big changes are happening inside Microsoft: Ballmer will retire within the next year, and the company has finally taken the step of acquiring Nokia's devices and services division.

　　However, one of the big issues facing Windows Phone is apps, or the lack of them, which seems to be a permanent hindrance in its efforts to catch up with iOS and Android.

　　In fact, few people would question Nokia's Windows Phone 8 hardware itself - its flagship Lumia phones are beautifully designed and solid, and the camera function is perhaps unmatched in smartphones. People call the Lumia 1020 a camera that can make calls. Compared with the icon interface of Android and iOS, Windows Phone 8's "Live Tiles" are also refreshing.

　　There's no doubt that Windows Phone itself is quite attractive, the problem lies in the apps, right?

　　Researchers recently took a detailed look at some of the app lists for Android and iOS to see what Windows Phone has and what it doesn't.

　　Apps not available on Windows Phone

　　Windows Phone does not have Google Maps, but it has its own maps and Here maps; there is no official Gmail application, but there are some third-party related services of decent quality, and users can also set up native support for Google Sync on Windows Phone; the system also does not have Chrome, but there is a fake Chrome application that redirects to IE.

　　There is no Instagram app on the system yet, but third-party similar services are pretty good, and there is also an official Hipstamatic app. YouTube once appeared on the platform thanks to the efforts of Microsoft developers, but due to a series of conflicts between the two parties, Google has now disabled the video app.

　　Those apps may be coming soon, but popular services like Vine, Path, and Flipboard are not available on Windows Phone yet. Cloud storage services Dropbox, SoundCloud, RunKeeper, and Yahoo Mail are also not available on the platform, although third parties have provided similar apps to these services. Add Firefox, Airbnb, Snapchat, Uber, Wikipedia, and Pinterest to the mix, and you'll find that many popular service providers are clearly not on Windows Phone yet.

　　This shows that Windows Phone still lacks a lot of applications. However, on the other hand, the number of third-party local applications on the system exceeds people's imagination, and Microsoft also has strong financial resources to promote the development of more such applications.

　　Existing Windows Phone apps

　　Skype, Twitter, BBC iPlayer (UK), Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Angry Birds, TuneIn Radio, Shazam, Spotify, Netflix, Evernote, PayPal, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Foursquare, LivingSocial, Runtastic, and many more are available for Windows Phone. So is eBay, though it's a little lacking in features. IMDb has an app for Windows Phone, too, but it hasn't been updated in a while. Rdio is also missing some basic features from its iOS and Android versions. But the full-featured crossword game Words With Friends is available on the platform, which should please potential lapsed users.

　　No Facebook app? Actually, there is -- Microsoft went to the trouble to create its own version, since Zuckerberg and company didn't have time to develop one. As for Groupon, Nokia also helped create one.

　　The Windows Phone Store also has a ton of gadgets, from calculators to flight search engines. Considering that all many people really want from a smartphone is Internet access and a mobile browser, you might be wondering why Windows Phone hasn't caught on in large numbers.

　　So what is the reason?

　　Self-fulfilling prophecy

　　The lack of native apps is certainly a problem for many people, but it should be noted that many people don't care about a large portion of the apps in the app store.

　　They are also completely fine with Windows Phone, which has enough apps for them. Many people don't use Vine, Uber or Snapchat on iPhone and Android. Tech professionals (whether programmers, marketers or journalists) don't actually see the actual demand for smartphone features.

　　So they'll repeat "The big problem with Windows Phone is the lack of apps" over and over again until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

　　For many people, a good browser, Facebook, Twitter, Kindle, YouTube, Spotify, email, maps, navigation, camera, or a few other services are enough. But the fact that people haven't abandoned Android or iOS for Windows Phone makes people think that the low penetration rate of Microsoft's mobile system is not entirely due to the lack of local applications, at least not directly.

　　Word of mouth plays a huge role in gadget purchases outside of the tech world, and Microsoft didn't get much of a boost from that among the general population of smartphone buyers because the message from those 'in the know' (developers, engineers, journalists, etc.) was that Android and iOS were the only mobile platforms worth using - because they had so many apps. So in this roundabout way, the lack of apps really became one of Windows Phone's biggest problems.

　　It's understandable that developers haven't put a lot of energy and resources into Windows Phone - its user base isn't worth it. But even if Microsoft had all the missing apps listed above, its situation wouldn't be any different - what it really needs to do is to get into the hearts and minds of consumers, and the key is to simplify things.

　　Simplify product line

　　Even though Android is the most dominant mobile operating system, it still lags behind iOS in terms of applications.

　　It is not common for apps to be released on Android before iOS. Some apps are released on Android after a long time. Vine was released on Android six months after the iPhone version, and Instagram was released more than a year later. What about Nike+ Fuelband? The iOS version has been released for 18 months, but the Android version is still not available. In addition, many excellent independent apps that are not big brands do not seem to have plans to release Android versions. Google is also far less strict than Apple in reviewing the quality of apps.

　　Yes, Android has an app problem, too, mainly because of the fragmentation of Android devices, while iOS only has two devices, the iPhone and the iPad. So why is Android thriving? The answer is simple - Google.

　　The search giant has become a market-dominant Internet company, while Microsoft still relies on Office and Windows. With Google Docs, Maps, Google Earth, Search, and Gmail, Google is in a very advantageous position to embrace the cloud. It also saw the future of mobile at the beginning - acquiring Android in 2005. By combining all these products into a "melting pot", making Android open source for all OEM manufacturers to use, and adding Google+, a powerful mobile giant emerged.

　　Microsoft also has this element - it brought Office to the cloud, moved Hotmail to Outlook, launched Bing maps and search, and has Windows Phone. But it just feels too late - Google has already captured a large share of the mobile Internet community's attention and established a market position that is difficult to shake. Apple's hardware quality has been superior from the beginning, and it has also spawned the current application ecosystem.

　　After owning Nokia's mobile phone business, Microsoft must start to simplify its product line. Nokia has launched a number of mobile phone products this year, some of which use Windows Phone system and some do not.

　　After Microsoft takes over Nokia's phone business, it should phase out many of its devices - at least from a marketing perspective. It should also abandon the S40 operating system. It needs to simplify things and focus on creating a few phones that cover the low, medium and high end of the market. If it can strike a balance of launching only three or four attractive devices and avoid the same product homogeneity as Apple and the fragmentation of Android devices, it can simplify its product promotion and hopefully get some growth. This may even mean limiting Windows Phone phones to Nokia devices, allowing HTC, Huawei and Samsung to put all their eggs in the Android basket.

　　In addition, Microsoft, which has strong financial resources, can reach cooperation with more large retailers for its few flagship phones, allowing the latter to place its products in prominent positions in stores.

　　Windows Phone needs more quality native apps, but that's not the root of the problem. It's just a symptom of a bigger problem, which is the perception that everyone needs a ton of apps on their smartphones. If all the people who would be content with a few popular apps, IE, and a great camera embrace Windows Phone, then the native apps will naturally follow once developers realize it's a viable platform.

　　Here's another thing Microsoft shouldn't do. It shouldn't be constantly mocking its competitors and their products in silly ways, because that makes it look desperate and that's bad for the company's brand. Does it think that by disparaging Apple it's going to get people to switch to Windows Phone? That's crazy, and whoever takes over from Ballmer should get down to business and move fast.