Microsoft’s Network Expansion Strategy
It’s no secret that Microsoft has been struggling in recent years to get a foothold in the mobile market. This is in large part due to their late entry to the game, after Apple and Google had already well established themselves in the market. Today, Windows Phone 8.1 (soon to be Windows 10 Mobile) is as feature full as iOS and Android, but there is still one crucial thing holding Microsoft back from gaining ground: app quantity. Currently, the Apple and iOS stores both have over 1.5 billion apps available, while windows sits at just 670,000 apps. This disparity in app selection is what makes it so difficult for consumers to justify purchasing a Windows Phone. On the other side, the lack of users makes it difficult for developers to justify spending resources making an app for such a small user base. Microsoft’s biggest issue right now is in trying to expand its mobile network to a broader audience. They have recently revealed their solution to this issue with the release of Windows 10. Part of the plan of Windows 10 is connecting the entire ecosystem of Windows devices through universal apps. This refers to apps that are available in the universal Windows Store for any device (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) running Windows 10, which work identically, and reshape based on the size of the device. By doing this, Microsoft is giving developers incentive to develop on the Windows platform, since their apps will now be available to not just Windows Phone or just pc users, but to anyone using a device running Windows 10. With this extra incentive, Microsoft hopes to get more big name app developers to release their apps on Windows as well, since the prospective user base is now several times larger than either iOS or Android. Aside from universal apps, Microsoft is also releasing software for iOS and Android developers that automatically transfers their app’s code from iOS or Android to Windows, making it easy to transfer already existing apps to the Windows platform.
Microsoft currently has several different networks within its own ecosystem. It has its pc user network, which is very well established and robust, and it has its mobile network, which is very small and shallow. By implementing its Windows 10 strategy, it hopes to bridge the gap between its own networks. By doing this, it makes it much more enticing for both app developers and prospective consumers to join in the new connected network. App developers will be able to develop a single app that will work across the entire Windows 10 network, which will give consumers more incentive to purchase windows phones, since they will have the apps they are looking for.
http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/06/microsoft-says-110m-devices-run-windows-10-universal-apps-coming-from-facebook-and-instagram/