There have been a number of rumors suggesting that Lenovo was toying with the idea of making a Windows Phone. However, a recent change in Microsoft strategy has rendered such a device as not needed.
Lenovo vice president and general manager David McQuarrie spoke in an interview with V3, stating that Microsoft’s “mobile first, cloud first” strategy renders a Lenovo Windows Phone handset moot as its customers already have access to its apps and services everywhere else. Meaning, those who use Lenovo’s Android devices will have access to just such apps and services.
“With the phones that we have today, and the move by Microsoft to make Office applications freely available on Android, the gap between a Windows PC and an Android device shrank dramatically,” he told the publication. “I use an Android phone and a Windows laptop and now I can open all my Office documents on my phone in a Microsoft app. The fact that it isn’t a Windows Phone is irrelevant, so the move by Microsoft has made it far easier for us to sell a combined solution to business.”
It really does make sense though. With Lenovo offering Android on its smartphones and tablets, and with Windows on its laptops, Lenovo offers customers two of the more well-known operating systems in a number of different form factors.
Though Lenovo has yet to gain a lot of traction in US mobile markets, the purchase of Motorola Mobility from Google helped the OEM to gain a considerable mobile backing. Even so, it sounds like despite Lenovo’s Android hardware clout, the company hasn’t closed its doors on Windows Phone entirely. Considering the less-than-dominant position Lenovo has with its Android brands, and the fact that it’s Microsoft’s largest PC making partner, Windows Phone could help Lenovo in the long run. But still, McQuarrie says it will be taken on a day-by-day basis.
“There is an ongoing evaluation of what platforms we should be offering,” he said. “We are a huge Microsoft partner on PCs, tablets and servers, and we continue to evaluate the ecosystem. If it makes sense, you could potentially see a Windows phone from us.”
I have to say, if Lenovo ever builds a Windows Phone packing device, it might be worth the chunk of change it’ll cost if it’s built anything like Lenovo’s laptops. What do you think? Is Lenovo moving away from a Windows Phone device a good or bad thing? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter.
[button link=”https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/4815/lenovo-less-likely-to-make-a-windows-phone-handset-now” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Thurrott[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
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