Desperate times call for desperate measures, and no one is probably as desperate as Microsoft in getting its mobile platforms on more devices. And if one can’t beat them, join them, as the Redmond tech giant has reportedly approached not just HTC but Samsung and Huawei as well to add its mobile Windows versions to their next batch of devices.
While Microsoft has been doing fine on its triumvirate of operating systems that include Windows 8 for desktops, laptops, and hybrids, Windows RT for tablets, and Windows Phone for smartphones, its performance has not been exactly stellar either. Windows RT has largely been panned, if not maligned, by critics and Windows Phone has yet to see massive adaptation the way Android and iOS have seen. While Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s mobile business might spell out a more solid Windows Phone lineup in the future, the company has apparently realized it needed the backing of more players.
HTC was rumored to have been recently approached by Microsoft in order to make its pitch. And now we’re getting word that Samsung and Huawei have also been contacted. What is interesting is that Microsoft isn’t asking these companies to outrightly sell Windows Phone or Windows RT devices. Instead, Microsoft is willing to play second fiddle and be offered as a dual-boot option alongside Android. What’s more, Microsoft is reportedly willing to shoulder the costs of adapting such a system.
Dual-booting with Windows, on paper, sounds quite interesting, even if the return on investment is somewhat shaky. It seems, though, that Microsoft has found a listening ear in Samsung, as the Korean manufacturer is rumored to have a new 2014 edition of its Galaxy Tab on the way. The tablet, aside from dual-booting Windows RT and Android, will sport a 12-inch or larger display, which would make it the Korean manufacturer’s largest Android tablet to date.
VIA: Unwired View
Personally, I’m not interested in dual boot on a phone. Storage space is limited enough as is. I’m not giving up any more gigabytes just to play with another mobile operating system. I can, however, see this being very compelling for a cross platform developer.
I would love a dual-boot phone. What be be great is if the storage is partitioned so that common media (i.e. photos, music, documents, pictures, etc) is on one partition, and two other main partitions are for the respective OSes and their apps. A phone that dual-boots Windows Phone and Android would work out well for some that like both platforms. I would fancy an unlocked device that would have updates pushed out directly from Google and Microsoft, or Samsung (depending on if it gets vanilla or Touchwiz). The only practical roadblock I see is buttons. Android has a number of button combinations, including none at all. Windows Phone, however, always has the home (Start) button, back, and search. I guess that would have to be the button placement: a generic home button, a back button, and a search button.
Windows Phone is growing at the fastest pace than others. This is understandable when the sales number are in hundreds or thousands, buts in millions, I think Android is more desperate now.