This Is How Microsoft Will Get You to Try Windows Phone

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) has had a lot of trouble in the mobile market. Its Windows Phone platform has a market share in the low single digits, even though the latest version, Windows Phone 8.1, has generally enjoyed positive reviews. A major problem is that Windows Phone doesn't have nearly as vast an ecosystem compared with either Android or iOS, and getting people to try Windows Phone, instead of choosing a more popular alternative by default, has been a struggle.

In terms of price, Windows Phones cost roughly the same as comparable Android devices. But there's little driving consumers to the platform, and that's left Windows Phone languishing in a distant third place in the smartphone market. Windows 10, with its refinement of universal apps that can run on both PCs and Windows Phones, should help the cause later this year, but Microsoft has a trick up its sleeve right now that could boost its market share.

Read more...