Microsoft knows that Windows Phone is dead

Microsoft has quietly put Windows Phone to rest, with Corporate Vice President in the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, Joe Belfiore saying over Twitter that even with incentives given to developers and even writing apps for them, the "volume of users is too low for companies to invest".

Bill Gates has switched to Android, and so has the Corporate VP of the OSG at Microsoft... so that's saying something. Developers haven't embraced Windows Phone, and with the early problems in the Windows Phone app store, mostly boring and definitely not mainstream (yet forced in TV shows, movies, etc) smartphones.

Microsoft will instead focus on investments into iOS and Android, which will only be good for the company and its users. This will however mean we probably won't ever see a Surface smartphone, and as a hardcore Android fan, that still disappoints me because Microsoft have well and truly proved themselves in the hardware business with many great Surface products.

• Read more: Google appeals historic antitrust lawsuit ruling that threatens its $12.4 billion mobile biz