How will WP die if QQ/WeChat stops updating?

Tencent has stopped developing applications for the Windows 10 Mobile platform, which means that QQ and WeChat on the Windows Phone platform will no longer be updated. As the most used communication software in China, WeChat and QQ have penetrated into the lives of most people, so this news is undoubtedly a huge blow to domestic Windows Phone users. And this is just a microcosm of the WP platform. With the lack of daily life software, users who originally adhered to WP began to waver. Where will the Windows Phone platform led by Microsoft go?

Lack of apps ruins the entire WP platform

"Windows Phone is very smooth to operate and has a unique and novel interface, which is what attracts me to this platform. But every time my friends discuss an application or a function, I can't get a word in. Until one day, I found that using this phone has caused trouble to my life, so I had to say goodbye to it!"

Currently, Android and iOS together account for more than 90% of the smartphone market. The number of WP users and software is not comparable to the former. In 2015, App Store downloads reached 100 million times and revenue increased by 75%, while Google Play reached an astonishing 200 million times. Microsoft's App Store is almost negligible.

I believe that WP users still remember the farce of Alipay adapting to Apple Watch. A wearable watch that Apple just released a few days ago received application updates faster than a WP system with tens of millions of users, so the term "payment mounting" was born. But it is not difficult to find out the reason. The support of users cannot cover up the embarrassing situation of the lack of Windows Phone software. From the perspective of manufacturers, it is normal not to develop applications for Windows Phone, not willing to spend energy on maintenance after developing applications, and giving priority to the Apple Watch platform, just because Windows Phone can't give them hope.

Without users, there is no profit. Developers who see no hope on the WP platform have to turn to other platforms. Software updates have become very slow, even for industry giants like Tencent and Alibaba. Functions that have long been available on other platforms have become a luxury on WP. Fewer applications and lack of functions have become WP's biggest weaknesses.

Windows Phone sales remain niche

If the lack of applications is not enough to explain the plight of the WP platform, then the sales of Windows Phone phones is the data that can most directly reflect the current situation. Five years ago, WP was the "third party" outside of iOS and Android and amazed global users, but now it is time to admit failure.

If QQ/WeChat are not updated, how will WP die? The top of the WP phone sales list is still the Lumia 520 from two years ago (Picture from adduplex)

According to Microsoft's recent financial report, Lumia phones sold only 4.5 million units in the fourth quarter of last year, a sharp drop of 57% from 10.5 million units in the same period last year. The total historical sales of WP phones is 110 million units, which seems to be a lot, but iOS and Android phones sold a total of 4.5 billion units in the same period. The latest IDC report shows that the total global mobile phone sales last quarter were about 400 million units, of which only 1.1% were WP. Historically, WP phones reached their peak in the fourth quarter of 2014, and then the situation took a sharp turn for the worse and continued to decline.

The Lumia 520 from three years ago is still the best-selling WP device, while the performance of Microsoft's two flagship Lumia 950 and 950XL is extremely disappointing. On the other hand, it also shows that WP has not gained a foothold in the high-end market, and Windows Phone has become the choice of niche users.

Microsoft's self-rescue is only to get out of the ecological cycle trough

As WP only accounts for 3% of the market share, the lack of sufficient appeal to attract developers to provide excellent applications has always been a flaw of Microsoft. In order to deal with the problem, Microsoft has launched a new UWP (Universal Application) model on Windows 10. At the same time, it also encourages and helps developers to port applications from other platforms to Win10. The initial plan includes three plans, targeting Android\iOS\web. However, the Android project has been abandoned and it is unknown when the iOS project will be officially launched. In response to the problem of small number of users, Microsoft has launched a project to bring the Windows 10 system to some Android phones. At the WinHEC conference held on March 18 last year, Microsoft announced that it would launch a mobile version of Windows 10 for Xiaomi 4. Despite this, the project is progressing very slowly and currently only a few models are supported.

Joe Kelly, Huawei's head of international media affairs, revealed in an interview with the Seattle Times that the company has never made a profit on the two devices running the WP system, and claimed that "no manufacturer has made any money from WP devices." I vaguely remember that the first batch of WP phones on the market also included international manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, and LG. In recent years, the originally small number of Windows phone manufacturers has gradually disappeared. The direct reason is that there are few people buying WP devices, and manufacturers cannot make a profit. In addition to the unsatisfactory performance of the Lumia devices built by Microsoft itself, the Surface Phone is also far away.

Maybe he'll die gracefully.

Some people said: "The drama has come to an end, and the death of Windows Phone is inevitable."

In this era where apps dominate smartphones, the lack of apps has become a serious flaw in WP's competition with Android and iOS. Without first-class apps, WP will have no users. Conversely, without users, developers and manufacturers will not be happy to serve Microsoft.

Microsoft is trying to save the endangered WP ecosystem by porting iOS apps, flashing the system for third-party manufacturers, and launching the Surface Phone. Although Microsoft has not given up its own mobile devices or Windows Phone platform, its death is approaching step by step. Maybe one day WP will disappear from everyone's sight like Symbian, Web OS, and MeeGo, but its unique operating experience will surely remain in people's hearts for a long time.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.