Microsoft is largely struggling with its own
Windows Phone hardware business, so it is looking to leverage software to make its services more accessible to users.
Last year, Google got into
the phone hardware business with the Pixel, and they've recently released two updated versions: the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL.
Microsoft earlier today announced a major restructure of
its phone hardware business and revealed a $ 7.6 billion write off of Nokia's acquisition.
We're pleased with our progress to date, but due to the focusing of
our phone hardware business, it will take longer than FY18 for us to reach our goal of 1 billion monthly active devices.
In the year and a half since Google last rejigged
its phone hardware business, Pixel has managed to carve a niche for itself, owing to its first - in - class cameras among other standout features.
But make no mistake:
its phone hardware business is dead.
But the company appears to be in development to maintain its market share with restructuring
its phone hardware business.
Google has apparently realized that if you're trying to break into
the phone hardware business, you should probably find a way to make and sell phones to people who want to buy them.
It's no secret that Microsoft is getting out of
the phone hardware business; in fact, during its last earnings call, the company said that it should be completely done selling its handsets by the end of June, after reporting just $ 5 million in phone revenue last quarter.
It was another step on the company's journey to dissolve
its phone hardware business; earlier this year, its quarterly phone revenue collapsed to just $ 5 million, down from $ 1.4 billion two years before, and during the most recent quarter, Microsoft described its phone revenue as «immaterial».
Microsoft plans to cut 7,800 jobs from employees working mostly in
its phone hardware business as part of the 18,000 expected layoffs announced last year.