While being part of the world's big tech, Microsoft is not notable for its smartphone development, and this was because the company did not focus on this venture and eventually gave up, its CEO Satya Nadella recently revealed.
When Nadella started with Microsoft, he saw the company's Windows Phone sales dropping and the Nokia phone business, leaving the company with the Android-powered Surface handset to develop.
Microsoft is known for its computer products. However, its rivals like Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Asus, and Google are known for their smartphone venture, not the Redmond-based tech giant.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says Windows Phone Development Could Be Better
During an interview with Business Insider, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company's "exit" from the Windows Phone business.
"The decision I think a lot of people talk about - and one of the most difficult decisions I made when I became CEO - was our exit of what I'll call the mobile phone as defined then. In retrospect, I think there could have been ways we could have made it work by perhaps reinventing the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones," said Nadella.
According to Nadella, there could have been different ways to refocus their focus on the smartphone and PC business, including the tablets present at the time. Sadly, this is not possible now, with Windows phones failing some time later.
Regrets for Microsoft's Windows Phones?
The Verge reported that in 2014, Satya Nadella stepped in as the company's CEO after Steve Ballmer, and a year later, Microsoft wrote off $7.6 billion in its acquisition of Nokia.
According to Nadella, giving up on the Windows Phone and Nokia mobile business was a mistake since there were still many possibilities in store for the devices before it explored Android with its Surface phones.
Microsoft's Smartphone Development
Microsoft has a few notable smartphones centered on the Windows mobile operating system that it patterned on its original computer OS, best known as its main product in the industry.
Initially, there were the Lumia smartphones, alongside the company's various partners, including HP, Alcatel, SoftBank, VAIO, and more.
However, it was short-lived, and in 2014, the company dropped the Windows smartphone business alongside its Nokia subsidiary, selling it to a Finnish startup, HMD Global.
After this, Microsoft had Surface smartphones sporting the Android operating system, with its most recent update arriving to the Duo 2, featuring the Android 11.
At present, there is no information regarding any future development of Microsoft in expanding its smartphone lineup. However, many believe that the future of Surface phones is not yet over.
Nadella recently said in the interview that Microsoft's previous shutdown of Windows and Nokia mobile phone business could have been handled better, saying there "could have been ways" they could have made it work.
