Why Was Windows Not Used For Business Mobile Solutions?

When it comes to business mobile solutions, there are typically two realistic choices, which are the same choices available to pretty much everyone.

While there are many handsets, networking options, and ways to set them up, ultimately, the choice comes down to Apple’s iOS, which is used by the iPhone and iPad, or Android, which is used by everything else.

What is interesting about the entire ecosystem is that the biggest name missing is one that has dominated the business computing market for the better part of four decades.

Microsoft Windows is the universal operating system of choice for business desktops and laptops, with the exception of some niche industries. But why has this not translated to the mobile market outside of Surface?

There are a lot of answers, but it is certainly not for a lack of trying.

The Failed Pivot

Microsoft was ubiquitous in the 1990s and by the late 2010s and early 2020s had reached that point again, but in the late 2010s, it was deeply concerned about its position of market dominance.

Apple’s MacOS had managed to carve a niche in the desktop market in the creative industries, but the biggest concern for them was a product they announced in 2007.

The iPhone was not the first smartphone by any measure, with Android-powered phones already existing by that point alongside more rudimentary models from the likes of BlackBerry and Nokia, but it was the one that captured the imagination of many people inside and outside of the business world.

Microsoft did have the Windows CE-based Windows Mobile systems designed for personal desktop assistants but had been caught out completely by the iPhone, leading to the stopgap Windows Mobile 6.5 release in 2008.

This turned out to be a disastrous move, one that then-CEO Steve Ballmer admitted, leading to a significant loss of market share to BlackBerry and Apple.

However, what was far worse is that it led to a cavalcade of decisions that turned a temporary setback into a permanent decline that forced Microsoft out of this part of the market.

An Aggressive Decline

Microsoft went all-in on mobile, pushing heavily their Windows Phone 7 OS as well as designing their next Desktop product, Windows 8, to be an integrated platform designed to provide the same user experience for phone, tablet and computer users.

The reason for this sudden move was a belief that the PC was heading for irrelevance, to be replaced by various Android and iOS-powered smart devices.

The result was an unmitigated disaster; the initial release was insecure, its business applications were described as “shockingly bad” in a contemporary PC World review, and the interface, whilst streamlined, was poor for business use.

The system was bad, but whilst that part could be fixed, it was also the catalyst for the infamous Burning Platform memo, as the shift at Nokia from Symbian OS to Windows Phone was spearheaded by former Microsoft executive Stephen Elop.

Ultimately, for all of the claims that mobile would completely take over the market share that PCs enjoyed, this has, for the most part, not been the case. Business mobile is used alongside laptops and desktops for truly mobile working environments.

When Microsoft pivoted away from mobile after the disastrous reception to the mobile-focused Windows 8, Windows 10 was far more successful.