Microsoft's mobile surrender
Early Wednesday morning, Microsoft announced further reductions to its smartphone hardware business, including the elimination of up to 2,000 jobs, mostly in Finland, where Nokia was based. This is on top of more than 25,000 layoffs related to its smartphone business since it bought Nokia in 2014.
This chart from Statista shows why. Global market share for Microsoft's phone platforms dipped below 1% in Q1 2016. That's barely a footnote.
Microsoft still has opportunities in mobile computing. It can sell mobile versions of other apps and services for Android and iOS, and can sell software and services to help large organizations manage their mobile phones. But as far as putting Windows on phones, or making a dent in the phone business, it's over.
