Bid adieu to Microsoft Lumia this December!
What's the story
Microsoft may stop production for Lumia smartphones as early as December 2016. Reports suggest Microsoft's Lumia range of phones are being phased out to make room for the rumoured 'Surface Phone' which is expected by end-2016 or early next year. Over the last few months, Lumia's retail prices have seen slashed across the board presumably to clear off remaining stock.
About
Microsoft's Lumia gamble didn't pan out
In 2011, Nokia decided to step away from the Symbian OS. It entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft to move towards Windows phones. Nokia Lumia 800 debuted in end-2011. Microsoft eventually acquired Nokia's phone division which turned out to be a dismal failure. Microsoft was forced to write off its $7.6 billion Nokia acquisition with its former CEO calling it a "monumental mistake".
Reasons
Windows Phones: A fiasco?
The Lumia range was launched five years ago but was only able to capture 3 percent of the total market share in Europe. Despite its clean UI, Windows phones came across as lacklustre in comparison to Android and Apple phones and compared poorly in looks, features and applications. Only a few high-end models like Nokia Lumia 920 and 1020 with premium features performed well.
The 'Surface Phone'
What does Microsoft have up its sleeve?
The much-awaited Microsoft 'Surface Phone' may finally see the light of day! Possibly slated for a 2017 launch, it could sport 8GB of RAM and Snapdragon 830 CPU making it a premium and robust device in the smartphone world. It's also speculated that the smartphone maybe integrated with the Surface pen integration and Continuum feature, which would provide seamless user-experience targeted at on-the-move professionals.
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Microsoft's 'non-confirmation'
Surface Phone rumours have been abound for ages but were spurred recently by cryptic responses from Engineering-Director at Microsoft, Laura Butler. Her now deleted tweets "Surface iPhone. ;-)" and "Surface Phone not NOT confirmed. :-)" last week appear to suggest they aren't just rumours!
Microsoft's new releases
Announcement in October?
Late last year, Microsoft released Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones, Surface Book, Surface Pro 4 and Band 2.0 . The event grabbed the attention of Windows loyalists with Windows 10 Mobile Operating System, the Continuum feature and the liquid-cooled CPU. This October, Microsoft is expected to unveil Surface all-in-one PCs and according to Winbeta, the Surface Phone is expected to be launched too.
Information
What is the 'Continuum' feature?
The Continuum feature was showcased in November 2015 at a Microsoft's event. It allows mobile users of Windows 10 to have a desktop-like experience when plugged into an external display while the device acts as the processor.