For a while now we’ve been discussing the Surface Phone and how Windows 10 is critical to the product’s success in the market. With all the latest preview builds of Windows 10 Creators Update that have been coming out one after another this past few weeks, it’s important to understand how that fits into the grand scheme of things where Surface devices, especially Surface Phone, are concerned.
The first thing to remember is that Surface Phone is a business device, not an entertainment-centric smartphone. With Microsoft’s own popular productivity apps featuring heavily on the phone – or likely to, anyway – it is clearly aimed at the enterprise segment.
That said, from what we’ve learned so far, Surface Phone has more than enough “oomph” to deliver a great gaming, VR or 3D experience as well.
As such, it straddles both the business as well as general consumer segments of the market.
For that reason, Surface Phone will never be able to compete in the tight premium smartphone space against the likes of iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8. Each of those companies have found a solid niche for their phones, and operating systems that have innumerable apps to complement them.
Surface Phone needs something robust like Windows 10 to really make a difference – or even a dent – in the smartphone market. And if they master the art of emulating traditional desktop applications on Surface Phone, they’ve effectively created a brand new market opportunity within the confines of the smartphone market.
The second big consideration is that Surface Phone needs to not only compete against other premium smartphones that have a huge head start over them, but also the new entrant Google, with its Google Pixel line of phones. The search giant has already lined up some Pixel 2 possibilities, and the more Microsoft waits, the harder it’s going to be to re-enter the smartphone market.
Unfortunately, what Microsoft needs is not another Windows 10 Phone device, but a pure-breed Windows 10 device that just happens to be extremely mobile. The only two things that can make that happen are:
- Their ability to bring the desktop experience to mobile devices in a meaningful way
- The Windows 10 Creators Update
In fact, you could say that it would be premature to launch Surface Phone with anything less than Windows 10 Creators Update. Not only does it bring in enterprise-level security features and options to the table, but it also brings in much of the functionality that smartphone users today are coming to expect, like VR and holographic content, pro gaming, the 3D experience and a lot more.
If Microsoft can swing this marriage of software and hardware, it will be the iPhone all over again – a perfect blend of premium hardware and the best possible software powering it. Apple was the first company to be able to do this effectively in the smartphone market, and if Microsoft’s Surface Phone can taste even a fraction of success that the iPhone has enjoyed all these years, they’ve got it made.
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