Microsoft announced that its new Lumia phones - the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL - will launch on AT&T in the U.S. on November. There are rumors pointing to a Surface smartphone for the next Microsoft flagship.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are set to arrive on one carrier, AT&T, on November in the U.S. according to Geekwire. Microsoft said that its new phones will not be exclusive to AT&T and it is open to partner with other carriers who want to sell the devices.
However, T-Mobile's CEO John Legere tweeted that T-Mobile did not turn down Microsoft's new phones. It was reported that Microsoft and T-Mobile are no longer dealing business with each other. A spokesperson told, "Microsoft has scaled back retail availability of their Windows phone devices so T-Mobile is not selling them directly."
As per a report by CNET, the new Microsoft Lumia phones will not attract many consumers. Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insight & Strategy said, "The phones are better, but they're not going to move the needle for consumers." The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL Windows phones took a backstage when Microsoft announced its Surface Pro 4 tablet and Surface Book laptop.
In order to get more shares out of the smartphone market, rumors suggest that Microsoft's next flagship will be a Surface phone to rival Apple and Android phones. Microsoft appointed Panos Panay, the man behind the Surface tablet, to oversee its line of premium devices (smartphones included) in July.
CNET added that Microsoft hopes that early adoption of Windows 10 will get more customers to buy Windows phones. Gizmodo reported that the new Lumia phones run on Windows 10 platform. In the demonstration, Microsoft showed how universal Office apps function on the Lumia phones. It also said that Outlook and OneDrive will be integrated in the phones' Windows 10 OS.
Gregg Moskowitz, an analyst at Cowen & Co., said, "While we were impressed with the Lumia 950's ability to turn into a PC, we have a very difficult time envisaging this becoming a killer app." Microsoft said that it is working with developers to create apps compatible with both PC and smartphones.
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