Current reports are suggesting that Sony may be bringing a Windows Phone device to the market sometime in 2014. Although Sony may be working on a Windows Phone smartphone, the company is still at the “considering” stage, so it may never actually come to fruition.
The Information is reporting that Sony showed interest in the Windows Phone platform once Microsoft cut back on its licensing fees for the software. Now that it is less expensive to bring a Windows Phone device to the market, Sony is considering it as a viable business option.
Even though it has been around for over a year, Windows Phone 8 and the Windows Phone platform as a whole, is nowhere near as popular as Android or iOS but there are a still a handful of companies showing interest in the eco system.
It may currently be a rumor, but more solid information regarding the Sony Windows Phone device should be coming out soon as The Information is stating that the phone may be released as early as mid-2014.
A Windows Phone device would certainly allow Sony to widen its options in the mobile phone market but it does seem like an odd move particularly because of Sony’s focus on Android so far. Even its non-phone devices, like the SmartWatch 2, do not currently support Windows Phone, meaning that at least a few changes would have to be made for Sony to easily fit a Windows Phone device into the lineup.
Any uptick in sales for Windows Phone devices is good news for Microsoft. Not only would a Vaio-branded Windows Phone smartphone bring a per-sale fee to Microsoft but it would also bring more attention to the platform, creating interest among consumers as well as developers.
Creating any extra incentives for developers to create apps for Windows Phone is vital to the survival of the platform and Sony’s involvement could help with that.
At this point, Microsoft is relying almost entirely on Nokia for the sale of Windows Phone devices, with the current figures stating that Nokia’s Lumia phones control 92% of the Windows Phone market.
Nokia’s control over the market, even with Microsoft acquisition of the company, is not good, so diversification through Sony will be very beneficial.