Alright, so we know that Windows Phone is kind of in a weird place right now. Nokia, the biggest driving force behind Windows Phone, is no longer really part of the picture; the platform is overdue for a major flagship release; and, of course, the app ecosystem still needs a lot of work. Despite all of these things, though, we know that big changes are on the horizon for Windows Phone with the knowledge that Windows 8.1 will eventually become Windows 10. Exactly what changes that all entails is still largely left in the dark (except for... exploding Live Tiles, I guess?) but the hope is that Windows 10 will be able to somehow give new life to the rather stagnant OS.
Even before we can expect to see Windows 10 hit shelves, though, it looks like we have a manufacturer that is looking to invest in the Windows Phone platform, allegedly as early as the first half of 2015. According to reports, smartphone manufacturer Acer has rekindled an interest in making Windows Phone devices. The last time Acer made a Windows Phone device was the Acer Allegro back in 2011 on the Windows Phone 7 platform.
It’s an odd news story to find right now given that just recently Huawei went on record saying that not only did Huawei make no money with Windows Phone, but nobody made money with Windows Phone. If that statement is true (which is a bold statement to make if it weren’t) then why would any company really want to get invested in Windows Phone at a time like this?
Perhaps because, as of right now, there really isn’t much competition in the market. If Acer were to start building their brand in the Windows Phone market now, then by the time Windows Phone 10 comes out they’ll already have a leg up on the competition. Or maybe they’re just genuinely hoping to help out the platform before it’s too late to recover by bringing something - anything - new and fresh to the market.
With that in mind, I still don’t really think that Acer will be able to fix the core problems that people have with the Windows Phone 8 platform right now. The lack of flagship devices is only part of the problem, and rather miniscule compared to the glaring fact that the app ecosystem is so underdeveloped compared to its competitors. Even BlackBerry has a leg up on the Windows Phone app situation since Android apps are technically supported. You also have to consider that Windows Phone doesn’t, and may never, have Google Apps, and the “new” features that Windows Phone has been coming out with lately have already been done long before; Cortana, drop-down notification center, and even folder support are all basic things that Windows Phone should have had eons ago.
I do hope that maybe Acer just knows something that we don’t, because otherwise this move makes very little sense. I don’t want to see Windows Phone fizzle out, because it sometimes feels like four competing platforms is too few already - only having three would make it that much smaller. But I don’t think that Acer deciding to suddenly hop on board with Windows Phone will solve many, if any, of the problems that the OS currently faces. It is clear that the major problems reside within the heart of the beast.
I wish them the best of luck, though, and hope that Acer can come out with some really compelling devices that at least bring a little spark back to Windows Phone.
