Redmond giant, Microsoft has announced that it's going to end the support for Windows Phone 8.1 today after more than three years since the company first introduced the update. One has to admit the fact that Windows Phone OS unofficially died last year when the company said they're not going to launch Windows Phone OS-powered smartphones anymore.
And today, the news was announced by Microsoft. That said, there are millions of Windows Phone smartphones still alive across the world, and the major chunk of them are running either the Windows Phone 7 or Windows Phone 8 or Windows Phone 8.1 platform. A report recently said that only 20 percent of Windows 10 Mobile OS users at the moment. And Microsoft also announced that they're not going to release the Windows 10 Mobile OS to most of the Lumia handsets.
To recall, the Windows Phone 8.1 update was a significant upgrade to the Windows Phone platform, which gave users the first sight to digital assistant Cortona. The update also introduced notification center and also brought a major overhaul to the platform.
Microsoft's aim to capture smartphone market didn't go according to the plan, thanks to the user-friendly Android and iOS platforms, which has a market share of around 90 percent combined. Moreover, 99.6 percent of handsets releasing these days are running Android or iOS.
That being said, to increase the market share, Microsoft acquired Finnish brand Nokia and even released 'Microsoft Lumia' handsets, which did not help either. Eventually, Microsoft sold the Nokia branding to HMD Global.
Microsoft has ended the support for Windows Phone 8.1 OS, however, the company still has to release software updates for Windows 10 Mobile OS. But don't expect the company to include any new features. Rumours are rife that Microsoft has divided its software department into a 'feature2' branch, which will maintain the operating system until 2018 or to be precise until the support ends.
Furthermore, the company did not include any new features even with the major Windows 10 Mobile Creator update. Sadly, that will continue in the future as well. Microsoft's move to get away from the smartphone business doesn't come as shocking news. The major letdown with the Windows Phone platform was that developers were not ready to develop new apps or services. In a time where apps are playing a massive role in a human's life, who would prefer an OS with no proper applications available?
Microsoft tried its best to attract and bring developers on board, but all the hard work went in vain. So, it's now officially 'End of an Era.' What called as an ambitious project from Microsoft is no more. All the Windows Phone 8.1 users and below are suggested to upgrade to an Android or iOS phone.
