To paraphrase the Prophesy of Daenerys from Game of Thrones: “Three beasts shall Microsoft slay – one is slate and one is late and one is cut-rate.” It is now becoming increasingly clear Microsoft’s mobile device strategy hinges on conquering three problems that it’s going to have a very hard time tackling. Problem No. 1: We now know that Microsoft has to essentially craft a successful smartphone strategy without selling huge numbers of tablets. Microsoft has to crack the phone market without a tablet flank, because all hope for a mass-market Windows tablet triumph is gone. One of the biggest surprises in the consumer electronics market over the past two years has been the overwhelming success of the cheap Android



More...