When was Windows Phone first released?
Windows Phone 7 was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on the 15th of February 2010 and released publicly on the 8th of November 2010 in the United States.
Questions about Windows Phone
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Microsoft partner with Nokia for Windows Phone?
Microsoft and Nokia announced their partnership on the 11th of February 2011 at a press event in London. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop chose Windows Phone over Android primarily for differentiation, arguing that entering the Android market late would make it difficult for Nokia to stand out. The partnership involved funds measured in billions of dollars covering royalties, marketing, and revenue sharing.
Why couldn't Windows Phone 7 devices upgrade to Windows Phone 8?
Windows Phone 8, released on the 29th of October 2012, replaced the Windows CE-based kernel of Windows Phone 7 with the Windows NT kernel. The hardware limitations of existing Windows Phone 7 devices made them incompatible with the new architecture. Microsoft released Windows Phone 7.8 in 2013 as a partial update that brought some Windows Phone 8 interface features to older devices.
What was the peak market share of Windows Phone?
Windows Phone reached its highest global market share in 2013. IDC put the peak at 3.4%, while Gartner reported 3.6% worldwide in the third quarter of 2013. In Europe, Kantar's October 2013 report showed Windows Phone at 10.2% of all smartphone sales.
How much did Microsoft lose on the Nokia acquisition?
Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile device business for just over $7 billion, a deal that closed in April 2014. By 2016, Microsoft had written off $7.6 billion on the Nokia hardware assets and laid off the entire Microsoft Mobile staff.
When did Windows Phone reach end of life?
Microsoft ceased active development of Windows 10 Mobile in 2017. The platform officially reached end of life on the 14th of January 2020. Support for Windows Phone 8.1 ended earlier, on the 11th of July 2017, a date the New York Police Department cited when replacing its 36,000 Windows Phone devices with iPhones.