For reasons that remains mostly unknown (Ballmer’s braggadocio? Strategic shortsightedness born from bureaucracy?) Microsoft was extremely late to the mobile party. As a result, the mobile
operating ecosystem is still dominated by Google’s Android and Apple.
Yet, under the stewardship of CEO Satya Nadella, the company that Bill Gates built is finally showing signs of mobile
life.
There are now 110 million devices running Windows 10 designed to run seamlessly across platforms, Microsoft said Tuesday during its Windows 10 hardware event.
In part, the
success of Windows 10 -- which has only been on the market for about 10 weeks -- can be attributed to Microsoft’s decision to make it a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. As a result, the
company recorded roughly 75 million installs about a month after its launch.
Likely to accelerate that growth, Microsoft said new apps for Windows 10 will include universal apps for
Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook’s popular Messenger service.
The deal is part of Microsoft’s broader efforts to encourage Windows 10 developers to create universal apps that span
channels. It’s hardly the first time Microsoft and Facebook are working together, but the commitment shows that the social giant has faith in Microsoft’s mobile future.
And it
should. Despite years of neglect and false starts, Microsoft certainly has the resources to redirect its massive operation squarely at mobile. As these latest figures suggest, the software giant is
already well on its way.
This column was previously published in Moblog on October 6, 2015.