One door closes, another one opens? An unlikeliest of rumors has been doing the rounds lately, claiming that Microsoft is gearing up to launch an Android phone.
This talk came right around we got an official confirmation from Redmond that Surface Phone is no longer on the horizon. However, the source is an alleged Microsoft Store employee who revealed these details in a conversation where no other specifics were provided.
Basically, it is being claimed that the software titan wants to replace Windows 10 Mobile with Android, in order to remain an active player in the mobile industry with its own line of devices.
The quote:
“We will be creating a new line of phones for Microsoft phones. It’s like a new edition for Microsoft phones. It’s gonna be powered by Android that’s for sure.”
For sure.
You may be aware, of course, that Windows 10 Mobile is now in maintenance mode, and support for this mobile operating system is projected to come to an end in July 2019 — a year from now.
The company meanwhile is making a mobile push in the form of apps and services that it releases for competing platforms, iOS and Android. While the upcoming Andromeda, while new hardware, is actually a new type of mobile device, not exactly a smartphone.
All this, more or less, means that Microsoft is out the mobile hardware game.
However, while it has everything in place to power such an Android phone, the app and expertise necessary, it still is important not to get our hopes too high.
And that’s because Microsoft Store workers have been known to share inaccurate information in the past about products. Any detail that comes this way should be taken with a generous helping of salt, as the company rarely provides access to such details to its Store staff.
Not jus that, Redmond also sees Windows 10 as the future and wants to have it installed on all devices that it launches. The company has said this much on multiple occasions.
Let’s file this under rumors for now.
Extremely unlikely rumors.
