微软(Microsoft) 在Google Play中推出了一款新应用程序，该应用程序设法提高了其Android 工作(Android work)的赌注，但没有带来任何特殊的新功能。它被称为Microsoft 应用程序，它的功能类似于(Microsoft Apps)Google Play中的一个独立门户，您可以使用它来发现所有适用于Android的(Android)Microsoft 应用程序(Microsoft apps)。在今年早些时候在Android上推出Office 套件的重大举措之后，(Office suite)微软(Microsoft)一直在坚持不懈地推出新的Android 应用程序(Android apps)，以至于很难跟踪所有这些应用程序。不满意只得到Word、Excel 和 PowerPoint 用户(Excel and PowerPoint users)在Android上，微软(Microsoft)眼中的奖品更大。它是什么？
令所有人惊讶的是，这里有很多微软(Microsoft)在Android上(Android)
我们写过关于微软(Microsoft)在iOS 和 Android(iOS and Android)上推出Cortana的文章。虽然Google Play中的发布足够大胆，Cortana在自己的领域与Google Now 进行了对比，但(Google)Cyanogenmod 的发布(Cyanogenmod release)更加有趣。Cortana将通过Cyanogenmod 操作系统(Cyanogenmod operating)嵌入和发布。这意味着 Cyanogenmod 用户(Cyanogenmod user s)将首先体验Cortana。 Google Now 甚至连(Google)打招呼(Hello)的机会都没有！
Microsoft Apps的发布是一个明显的迹象，表明微软(Microsoft)对Android的要求很大。
如前所述，Microsoft Apps是(Microsoft Apps)Google Play内的应用商店。那么有什么意义呢？我可以看到几个角度：
- 微软(Microsoft)希望控制其应用程序的展示。虽然您可以直接(developer straight)从Google Play找到特定开发者的应用程序列表，但要获得它需要许多步骤。应用程序的呈现方式相当枯燥，布局由Google控制。通过在Google Play中使用自己的应用程序商店(app store)，微软(Microsoft)可以以它认为合适的方式展示自己的应用程序，其顺序、(showcase its own apps)设计和分组(design and grouping)由它控制。
- Microsoft Apps中的应用程序类别列表描绘了一幅令人印象深刻的画面。Microsoft能够提供一组应用程序来满足您所有基本的智能手机或平板电脑需求(smartphone or tablet needs)。从通信和娱乐(communication and entertainment)到生产力，Microsoft拥有适用于一切的应用程序。在继续致力于使Windows 10成为未来平台的战略，该平台可在所有可能的计算机或智能设备上运行，Microsoft 已准备好为您提供(Microsoft is ready to offer you an Android experience that) 替代(replaces) Google 的 Android 体验，以满足您的大部分需求。(Google for most of your needs.)
图片：(Image:) 9gag
你听到了：没有Google的 Android 。在几天前发表的一篇文章中，我们写了关于今年进行的调查，显示大多数人只使用少数应用程序。81% 的智能手机用户每周最多使用 10 个应用程序，其中 46% 的用户使用的应用程序不超过 5 个。如果考虑到这些数据，微软(Microsoft)提供的应用程序列表就更令人印象深刻了。如果您可以围绕某人使用涵盖电子邮件(cover email)、日历、云存储、视频通信(video communication)、聊天、数字助理、网络搜索和办公工作(search and Office work)的应用程序，那么智能手机或平板电脑上的其他应用程序就没有多少空间了。
为了描绘整个画面，微软(Microsoft)从其Microsoft Garage项目中带来了其他几个应用程序，这使得这次入侵更加完整。Microsoft Garage发布由从事与其主要任务没有直接关系的宠物项目的Microsoft员工创建的应用程序。诸如Next Lock Screen之类的(Next Lock Screen)Microsoft应用程序接管了Android 锁定(Android lock)屏幕，而Arrow Launcher取代了您的Android 操作系统(Android operating)的启动器。尽管这些应用程序的预算很低，但与其他更有经验的竞争对手相比，它们得到了很好的评价。
Windows 10 与 Android 和 iOS
2015 年，很明显微软(Microsoft)专注于推广他们的Windows 10操作系统(operating system)。鉴于大多数计算机用户仍然是Windows用户，将PC和移动世界融合在一个统一平台上的尝试引起了所有人的关注。微软(Microsoft)稳步发布的Android和 iOS 应用程序并没有得到同等程度的关注，现阶段微软应用程序门户的出现，足以说明已经取得了多大的进步。(Microsoft Apps portal)
另一个难题是，在短期内，尽管Windows Store中缺乏有竞争力的应用程序，微软仍将大量资源投入到其 Android 和 iOS应用(Microsoft)程序工作上(Android)。一个例子是微软(Microsoft)收购了Sunrise Calendar应用程序。Sunrise通过在 iOS 上提供成功的日历替代品而声名鹊起。(Calendar alternative)鉴于Apple在其产品中投入的精美设计和工程(design and engineering)，Sunrise在其核心应用(core apps)之一上击败Apple的壮举令人印象深刻。
鉴于Windows 应用商店(Windows Store)的选择很少，每个人都预计下一步将是为Sunrise开发(Sunrise)Windows Phone 版本(Windows Phone version)并支持用户体验(user experience)。然而，Sunrise的下一步行动却不同： 2015 年5 月(May 2015)推出了Android 版本(Android version)。在那个阶段，在微软之前在(Microsoft)谷歌(Google)平台上提供更好体验的决定似乎很奇怪。
下一步行动发生在大约一个月前。在一篇博(blog post)文中，Sunrise 宣布过去几个月的大部分工作都用于支持Android 和 iOS上的(Android and iOS)Outlook应用程序。
我仍然相信微软(Microsoft)的长期计划(term plan)是成功地让用户使用Windows。连同其Windows 应用商店(Windows Store)，它是Microsoft长期作为移动新世界(term perspective)中强大参与者的关键。不过，目前看来，微软(Microsoft)认为其最激烈的战斗发生在 iOS 上，尤其是Android上，而不是Windows 10上。
您如何看待微软(Microsoft)的短期战略(term strategy)？
在这篇文章的最后，我想和你开始讨论。您是否在Android上使用任何Microsoft 应用程序(Microsoft apps)？您如何看待Microsoft Apps 门户(Microsoft Apps portal)？微软(Microsoft)短期内专注(term focus)于Android而损害其Windows Phone 和 Windows(Windows Phone and Windows) 10 Mobile平台又如何呢？
Microsoft to Android: Quiet! I live here now
Microsoft has launchеd a new app in Google Play that manages to raise the stakes in its Android work, without bringing any special new fеatυres. It is called Miсrosoft Apps and it functions like an independent pоrtal insіde Google Plaу, which yоu can use to discover all Microsoft apps for Android. Αfter making the big move of launching its Office suite on Android earlіer this year, Microѕoft has kept a relentless schedule of launching new Android apps, to the рoint that it is hаrd to keep track of all of them. Unsatisfied to get оnly Word, Excel and PowerPoint υsers on Andrоid, Mіcrosоft eyes a bigger prize. What is it?
To everyone's surprise, t here is a lot of Microsoft on Android
We wrote about Microsoft launching Cortana on iOS and Android. While the release in Google Play was daring enough by pitting Cortana against Google Now on its own territory, the Cyanogenmod release was even more interesting. Cortana is going to be embedded and released through the Cyanogenmod operating system. This means that Cyanogenmod user s will experience Cortana first. Google Now won't even have the chance to say Hello!.
The release of Microsoft Apps is a telling sign that Microsoft's claims on Android are big.
As mentioned earlier, Microsoft Apps is an app store inside Google Play. So what is the point? I can see a couple of angles:
- Microsoft wants to control the presentation of its apps. Although you can find the list of apps by a particular developer straight from Google Play , getting to it requires a number of steps. The way the apps are presented is fairly dry, with a layout controlled by Google. By using its own app store inside Google Play, Microsoft can showcase its own apps the way it sees fit, with the order, design and grouping that it controls.
- The list of app categories in Microsoft Apps paints an impressive picture. Microsoft is able to offer a set of apps that cover all your basic smartphone or tablet needs. From communication and entertainment to productivity, Microsoft has an app for everything. While continuing to work on the strategy of making Windows 10 the platform of the future, that runs on every possible computer or smart device, Microsoft is ready to offer you an Android experience that replaces Google for most of your needs.
Image: 9gag
You heard me: Android without Google. In an article published a few days ago, we wrote about surveys run this year, that show most people use only a few apps. 81% of smartphone users use a maximum of 10 apps per week and 46% of them do not use more than 5 apps. If you take this data into consideration, the list of apps fielded by Microsoft is even more impressive. If you can surround someone with apps that cover email, calendar, cloud storage, video communication, chat, a digital assistant, web search and Office work, there is not much room left for other apps on a smartphone or a tablet.
To paint the whole picture , Microsoft has brought a couple of other apps from its Microsoft Garage project, that make this invasion even more complete. Microsoft Garage releases apps created by Microsoft employees who work on pet projects not directly related to their main assignment. Microsoft apps like Next Lock Screen take over the Android lock screen, while Arrow Launcher replaces the launcher of your Android operating system. Despite the low budgets behind these apps, they get good reviews when compared to other more seasoned competitors.
Windows 10 versus Android and iOS
In 2015, it was clear that Microsoft was focused on promoting their Windows 10 operating system. Given that the majority of the computer users are still Windows users, the attempt to bring together on a unified platform the PC and the mobile world has captured everybody's attention. The steady release of Android and iOS apps by Microsoft did not get the same degree of attention and the appearance of the Microsoft Apps portal at this stage, serves to show how much progress has been made.
Another piece of the puzzle is that, in the short term, Microsoft has put significant resources on its Android and iOS app work despite the lack of competitive apps in Windows Store. One example is Microsoft's acquisition of the Sunrise Calendar app. Sunrise made a name for itself by offering a successful Calendar alternative on iOS. Given the exquisite design and engineering that Apple puts into its products, Sunrise's feat of beating Apple at one of its core apps is quite impressive.
Given the slim pickings in the Windows Store, everyone expected that the next move will be to develop a Windows Phone version for Sunrise and prop up the user experience. However, the next move from Sunrise was different: an Android version was launched in May 2015. At that stage, the decision to provide a better experience on Google's platform before Microsoft's seemed strange.
The next move came about a month ago. In a blog post Sunrise announced that most of its work in the past few months went into propping up the Outlook applications on Android and iOS.
I am still convinced Microsoft's big long term plan is to succeed on getting users on Windows. Together with its Windows Store, it is the key to Microsoft's long term perspective as a strong player in the new world of mobility. Right now though, it seems that Microsoft believes its most fierce battle takes place on iOS and especially on Android, not on Windows 10.
What do you think of Microsoft's short term strategy?
At the end of this article, I would like to start a discussion with you. Are you using any Microsoft apps on Android? What do you think of the Microsoft Apps portal? And what about Microsoft's short term focus on Android at the detriment of its Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile platforms?
