It’s official. Microsoft has ended support for its third generation of the mobile operating system– Windows Mobile 8.1. This doesn’t mean that your Windows phone will suddenly stop working. But the Windows users shouldn’t expect any security updates any time soon. “There will be no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates,” the company wrote in a rather ruthless blog post announcing the ‘demise’ of Windows Phone 8.1 along with its other products.
For those of you who don’t know, Microsoft had first launched its mobile operating system– Windows Phone 7 back in November 2010 to counter the growing popularity of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system. Subsequently, the company introduced a series of its mobile OS including Windows Phone 7.5, Windows Phone 7.8 and Windows Phone 8 before introducing Windows Phone 8.1 in April 2014.
Admittedly, Windows Phone was never one of the most popular operating systems in the world and people and tech companies alike never flocked to get the upgraded version of the software for their smartphones. Its platform also suffered delays in the crucial updates as the developers were never keen to release updates owing to its limited user base. But, for Microsoft and for some others who were addicted to its symbolic ’tiled format’, it was like a lighthouse.
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However, pulling the plug on Windows Phone 8.1 seems as if the company has given up all hopes of reviving its mobile OS user base. Sure Windows 10 Mobile is holding the banner high for the Microsoft and the company reportedly is also working on a new Windows 10 Mobile handset, but the real question is the demise of Windows Phone 8.1 an end of an era or has the company accepted its defeat?
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