“Of Microsoft’s many challenges in mobile, none loom larger than the app deficit,” Tom Warren reports for The Verge. “Windows 8 apps are also few and far between, and Microsoft is stuck in a position where it’s struggling to generate developer interest in its latest style of apps across phones and tablets. Some argue Microsoft should dump Windows Phone and create its own “forked” version of Android — not unlike what Amazon has done with its Kindle Fire tablets — while others claim that’s an unreasonably difficult task. With a new, mobile- and cloud-focused CEO in place, Nokia’s decision to build an Android phone, and rumors of Android apps coming to Windows, could we finally see Microsoft experimenting with Google’s forbidden fruit?”
“Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company is seriously considering allowing Android apps to run on both Windows and Windows Phone,” Warren reports. “While planning is ongoing and it’s still early, we’re told that some inside Microsoft favor the idea of simply enabling Android apps inside its Windows and Windows Phone Stores, while others believe it could lead to the death of the Windows platform altogether. The mixed (and strong) feelings internally highlight that Microsoft will need to be careful with any radical move.”
“iOS might still dominate developer interest for new apps, but Android has successfully bridged the gap on the smartphone side, something Windows Phone is still far from achieving,” Warren reports. “Android apps usually debut alongside their iOS equivalents, or shortly afterwards, and developers are clearly investing time and money on both platforms. For Microsoft, meanwhile, it’s a challenge of growing Windows Phone shipments and apps. Running Android apps on Windows Phone and Windows could serve as a Band-Aid.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A Band-Aid dipped in hydrochloric acid, that is. The moribund Windows Phone would die immediately and the decline of Windows on the desktop would only accelerate.
Go for it, Satya!
Wow, even Ballmer wouldn’t have been dumb enough to pull the trigger on that idea. Who knew things could get worse in his absence?
Yep, rock and a hard they are between, to be sure. If they don’t put office on the iPad they accelerate the decline of office, if they do they accelerate the decline of windows. Similarly with this they are damed if they do and damed of they don’t (can’t sell windows phones or accelerate the decline of the windows phone OS)
Must be tough to be a much hated, monopolizing scum bag of a company who’s only supporters for a hopelessly compromised rip off of a product are a straggling few tech idiots (and those you pay, or extort, to be “your friend”)
That is an excellent idea. If you want to sink this Microsoft Titanic faster, then they need to add more holes and start pumping in ocean water to the dry decks as fast as possible. Do you think this is the new guy’s strategy, Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer’s idea.
Clueless to the end!!!
Yeah, I’m sure Google will welcome this with open arms…
(who writes this shit and why do sites link back to it?)
“..who writes this shit?..”
That’s what I mumble after 90% of what I read..it’s become a mantra.
Lol.. For sure! … Google will actually pay microsoft royalties for having the honor.
Are you suggesting that Google will favor links to news that is good for Google?
A virus-laden OS running virus-laden apps!!!. Where do I sign up?
Yay more malware!
TOO LATE.
Worked VERY well for BBM!
Microsoft must be running out of viruses. Need to get some fresh Android ones.
On the other hand there are several iPad apps I wish I could run on my MacBook.
What a freakin’ brilliant idea. Put crappy Android apps on Windows devices to go with the crappy Windows apps. Your Windows phone or Windows PC will then be like the ultimate outhouse of apps. All the apps will look like crap, they will have no consistent interface, and they will not interact with each other. Add to this the fine quality Windows hardware and you have a business strategy guaranteed to take the MS Titanic to the ocean floor.
With marijuana now legal in Washington, apparently the boys in Redmond have increased their use of weed. How else could they come up with these ideas.
with a little weed, all that’s needed is a working screen saver.
Oh, yum yum!
MS malware + Android malware.
How could anyone resist such a dish?!
Hey, MS, why not run everything, Mac OS, Amiga, TR60, Wii, Nintendo, Solaris.
Then Microsoft would own the world of mobile!
I remember a company that used to tout the fact that you could rin Windows, Linux, and Mac OS all at the same time on their computer. I forget the name of that company, I think it was in California and the name stated with an A. Wonder whatever happened to them. Hmmm. Guess they went out of business. Damn fools.
Funny you should mention that. now that MDN now only reports iOS good news and Samsung bad news, plus the occasional US-centric political BS, perhaps logical discourse is best conducted elsewhere. Many here want the “free market” to work and also for Apple be the only company left in the computing world…
Do you remember when it was suggested, nay practically confirmed that Apple was going to cut OSX and replace it with a ‘Forked’ version of Windows Vista or whatever disaster was being produced at the time. This is about as ludicrous. But hey one can only hope the new boss is really that stupid.
Suuure, that will be easy and won’t have ANY problems, right?
Sounds like a great idea to double android malware market share at no extra effort or cost.
Wouldn’t it be better to make the compiler 100% compatible with iOS and Android commands? At least with that you make porting an app so easy that it would be worth the tiny sales gain, without encouraging development for any specific competing platform.
I’m a iPhone owner since iPhone 3 and I recently bought a cheap ($60) Nokia Windows Phone. Gotta say they do lack app support but I AM enjoying the interface.
Microsoft still has an opportunity here, as you indicate, but it must not flub this time. Their new CEO may realise that bribing independent app developers hasn’t worked, and they must be their own developers.
That alone could sweeten the value proposition of owning a Windows phone, and they could make further inroads by taking a page from the Mac playbook, emphasising the malware infesting Android app stores.
If, as has been suggested by several industry psychoanalysts, Microsoft wants to be like Apple, these are steps they may want to take.
Surprising that MS isn’t attempting to host iOS 7 apps on its Nokia phones. After all, flat Windows 8 tiles were the clear inspiration for Ives’ shitty iOS flat makeover.
Windoze phone gets Flappy bird after it was pulled from the App Store.
Microsoft Windows 8 Phone, the new Blackberry of smart phones. Destined for failure and obscurity. Hard to believe they failed so miserably. The smartest thing they could do right now is get MS Office running on iOS and Android, though even that strategy may not help with Apple giving away iWork. The sweaty simian with poor social skills couldn’t screw up more if he tried. Pretty pathetic.
It was all a misunderstanding. Microsoft heard that two negatives make a positive. They didn’t realize that that is a multiplication rule, and that a negative PLUS a negative makes a bigger negative.