Editing Smartphone (section)

===Form factor and operating system shifts===
[[File:LG KE850 Prada Hauptmenü.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[LG Prada]] with a large capacitive touchscreen introduced in 2006]]
[[File:IPhone 1st Gen.svg|thumb|upright|The original [[iPhone (1st generation)|Apple iPhone]]; following its introduction in 2007, the common smartphone form factor shifted to large touchscreen software interfaces without physical keypads<ref name="How iPhone Changed the World"/>]]

The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a shift in smartphone interfaces away from devices with physical keyboards and keypads to ones with large finger-operated [[Touchscreen#Capacitive|capacitive]] touchscreens.<ref name="How iPhone Changed the World">{{cite web |last=Elgan |first=Mike |title=How iPhone Changed the World |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/103229/how-iphone-changed-the-world/ |website=Cult of Mac |date=July 2, 2011 |access-date=October 17, 2019}}</ref> The first phone of any kind with a large capacitive touchscreen was the [[LG Prada]], announced by [[LG Electronics|LG]] in December 2006.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.lge.com/about/press_archive/detail/AB_NARCH%7CMENU_1_20302.jhtml |title=LG, Prada to Start Selling Mobile Phone at Start of Next Year |date=December 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108070435/http://www.lge.com/about/press_archive/detail/AB_NARCH%7CMENU_1_20302.jhtml |archive-date=January 8, 2007}}</ref> This was a fashionable [[feature phone]] created in collaboration with Italian luxury designer [[Prada]] with a 3" 240 x 400 pixel screen, a 2-Megapixel digital camera with 144p video recording ability, an [[LED flash]], and a miniature mirror for self portraits.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gsmhistory.com/vintage-mobiles/#prada|title =Vintage Mobiles: LG Prada - First mobile with a capacitive touchscreen (May 2007) |last=Temple|first=Stephen|publisher=History of GMS: Birth of the mobile revolution}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_ke850_prada-1828.php |title=LG KE850 Prada review: Sophistication made simple |date=2007-05-27 |access-date=2021-06-23 |page=4 }}</ref>

In January 2007, [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]] introduced the [[iPhone (1st generation)|iPhone]].<ref>{{cite video | people=Jobs, Steve | date=January 19, 2007 | url=https://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf07/ | title=Macworld San Francisco 2007 Keynote Address | location=San Francisco | publisher=Apple, Inc. | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222223204/http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf07/ | archive-date=December 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.macworld.com/article/54764/2007/01/liveupdate.html | title=Macworld Expo Keynote Live Update | first=Peter | last=Cohen | date=March 13, 2007 | work=[[Macworld]] | access-date=July 21, 2010 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724170414/http://www.macworld.com/article/54764/2007/01/liveupdate.html | archive-date=July 24, 2010 
}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Apple Reinvents the Phone with iPhone |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/01/09Apple-Reinvents-the-Phone-with-iPhone/ |publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |date=January 9, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> It had a 3.5" [[Touchscreen#Capacitive|capacitive]] touchscreen with twice the common resolution of most [[Comparison of smartphones#2007|smartphone screens at the time]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Louis |first=Tristan |title=The iPhone is here |url=https://www.tnl.net/blog/2007/01/09/the-iphone-is-here/ |website=TNL.net |date=January 9, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> and introduced [[multi-touch]] to phones, which allowed gestures such as "pinching" to zoom in or out on photos, maps, and web pages. The iPhone was notable as being the first device of its kind targeted at the mass market to abandon the use of a stylus, keyboard, or keypad typical of contemporary smartphones, instead using a large touchscreen for direct finger input as its main means of interaction.<ref name="JobsKilledTheStylus"/>

The iPhone's [[Mobile operating system|operating system]] was also a shift away from older operating systems (which older phones supported and which were adapted from PDAs and [[feature phone]]s) to an operative system powerful enough to not require using a limited, [[Mobile browser|stripped down web browser]] that can only render pages specially formatted using technologies such as [[Wireless Markup Language|WML]], [[i-mode|cHTML]], or [[XHTML]] and instead ran a version of Apple's [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] browser that could render full websites<ref>{{cite news |first1=Walter S. |last1=Mossberg |first2=Katherine |last2=Boehret |author-link=Walter Mossberg |title=The iPhone Is a Breakthrough Handheld Computer |url=http://solution.allthingsd.com/20070626/the-iphone-is-breakthrough-handheld-computer/ |work=The Mossberg Solution |date=June 26, 2007 |quote=The iPhone is the first smart phone we've tested with a real, computer-grade Web browser, a version of Apple's Safari. It displays entire Web pages, in their real layouts, and allows you to zoom in quickly by either tapping or pinching with your finger. |access-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614195245/http://solution.allthingsd.com/20070626/the-iphone-is-breakthrough-handheld-computer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Steven |title=First Look: Test Driving the iPhone |url=https://www.newsweek.com/first-look-test-driving-iphone-102625 |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=June 25, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2019 |quote=Web-browsing is where the iPhone leaves competitors in the dust. It does the best job yet of compressing the World Wide Web on a palm-size device. The screen can nicely display an entire Web page, and by dragging, tapping, pinching and stretching your fingers you can zero in on the part of the page you want to read. Web pages you wouldn't dare go to on other phones are suddenly accessible}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ed |last=Baig |title=iPhone Review |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-06-26-iphone-review_N.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=June 26, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2019 |quote=This is the closest thing to the real-deal Internet that I've seen on a pocket-size device ... IPhone runs Apple's Safari browser. You can view full Web pages, then double-tap the screen to zoom in. Or pinch to make text larger. Sliding your finger moves the page around. Rotating iPhone lets you view a page widescreen.|author-link=Ed Baig }}</ref> not specifically designed for mobile phones.<ref>{{cite web |last=Shea |first=Dave |title=iMobile |url=http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2007/01/09/imobile/ |website=mezzoblue.com |date=January 9, 2007 |access-date=October 16, 2019 |quote=It doesn't run a stripped-down mobile browser that delivers a sub-par experience, it runs Safari - a customized version with special UI tweaks, but that's still WebKit under the hood. It will render your site the same way your desktop does. |archive-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017062248/http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2007/01/09/imobile/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Later Apple shipped a [[iPhone OS 2|software update]] that gave the iPhone a built-in on-device App Store allowing direct wireless downloads of [[Mobile developers|third-party]] software.<ref>{{cite web | first=Geoff | last=Duncan | title=Apple confirms iPhone SDK coming next year | url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/apple-confirms-iphone-sdk-coming-next-year/ | website=[[Digital Trends]] | date=October 17, 2007 | access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Steve Jobs confirms native iPhone SDK by February | url=http://appleinsider.com/articles/07/10/17/steve_jobs_confirms_native_iphone_sdk_by_february | website=AppleInsider | date=October 17, 2007 | access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref> This kind of centralized App Store and free [[Software development kit|developer tools]]<ref>{{cite web | first=Jim | last=Dalrymple | title=Apple unveils iPhone SDK | url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1132400/iphonesdk.html | website=[[Macworld]] | publisher=[[International Data Group]] | date=March 6, 2008 | access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Ryan | last=Block | author-link=Ryan Block | title=Live from Apple's iPhone SDK press conference | url=https://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/live-from-apples-iphone-press-conference/ | website=[[Engadget]] | publisher=[[AOL]] | date=March 6, 2008 | access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref> quickly became the new main paradigm for all smartphone platforms for software [[Software development|development]], [[Software distribution|distribution]], discovery, [[Installation (computer programs)|installation]], and payment, in place of expensive developer tools that required official approval to use and a dependence on [[List of mobile app distribution platforms#Third-party platforms|third-party sources]] providing applications for multiple platforms.<ref name="How iPhone Changed the World" />

The advantages of a design with software powerful enough to support advanced applications and a large capacitive touchscreen affected the development of another smartphone OS platform, [[Android (operating system)|Android]], with a more BlackBerry-like prototype device scrapped in favor of a touchscreen device with a slide-out physical keyboard, as Google's engineers thought at the time that a touchscreen could not completely replace a physical keyboard and buttons.<ref name=atlantic-startover>{{cite web|title=The Day Google Had to 'Start Over' on Android|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/the-day-google-had-to-start-over-on-android/282479/|work=The Atlantic|date=December 18, 2013|access-date=20 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="AndroidInc">{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm |title=Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal |last=Elgin |first=Ben |date=17 August 2005 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |publisher=Bloomberg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205190729/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm |archive-date=5 February 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=2012-02-20}}</ref><ref name="EngadgetMobileOS">{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2007/08/28/google-is-working-on-a-mobile-os-and-its-due-out-shortly |title=Google is working on a mobile OS, and it's due out shortly |last=Block |first=Ryan |work=[[Engadget]] |date=28 August 2007 |access-date=2012-02-17}}</ref> Android is based around a modified Linux kernel, again providing more power than [[mobile operating system]]s adapted from PDAs and feature phones. The first Android device, the horizontal-sliding [[HTC Dream]], was released in September 2008.<ref name="cnet-tmobileretailer">{{cite web | url=https://www.cnet.com/news/all-t-mobile-retail-stores-to-carry-g1/ | title=All T-Mobile retail stores to carry G1 | first = Bonnie | last = Cha | date = January 23, 2009 | website = [[CNET]] | access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Asus]] started experimenting with a convertible docking system named ''[[Asus PadFone|PadFone]]'', where the standalone handset can when necessary be inserted into a [[tablet PC|tablet]]-sized screen unit with integrated supportive battery and used as such.

In 2013 and 2014, Samsung experimented with the hybrid combination of [[compact camera]] and smartphone, releasing the [[Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom|Galaxy S4 Zoom]] and [[Samsung Galaxy K Zoom|K Zoom]], each equipped with integrated 10× [[optical zoom]] lens and manual parameter settings (including manual exposure and focus) years before these were widely adapted among smartphones. The S4 Zoom additionally has a rotary knob ring around the lens and a tripod mount.

While screen sizes have increased, manufacturers have attempted to make smartphones thinner at the expense of utility and sturdiness, since a thinner frame is more vulnerable to bending and has less space for components, namely battery capacity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bendgate: Is the iPhone 6 Plus bending too easily or is it a st |url=https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/131105-bendgate-is-the-iphone-6-plus-bending-too-easily-or-is-it-a-storm-in-a-teacup |website=www.pocket-lint.com |access-date=26 January 2022 |language=en-gb |date=24 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Oreskovic |first1=Alexei |title=Here's Samsung's infographic that explains why the Note 7 phones exploded |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-infographic-explains-why-galaxy-note-7-phones-exploded-2017-1 |website=Business Insider |access-date=26 January 2022 |date=23 January 2017}}</ref>

====Operating system competition====
[[File:Meizu MX4.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Meizu MX4]] with [[Flyme OS]]]]
{{anchor|Smartphone_OS_competition}}<!--Previous title anchored in order to avoid breaking existing section links-->
The iPhone and later touchscreen-only Android devices together popularized the slate [[Form factor (mobile phones)|form factor]], based on a large [[capacitive touchscreen]] as the sole means of interaction, and led to the decline of earlier, keyboard- and keypad-focused platforms.<ref name="How iPhone Changed the World" /> Later, navigation keys such as the home, ''back'', ''[[menu key|menu]]'', ''task'' and ''search'' buttons have also been increasingly replaced by nonphysical touch keys, then virtual, simulated on-screen navigation keys, commonly with access combinations such as a long press of the task key to simulate a short menu key press, as with home button to search.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to access the hardware menu button on Samsung Galaxy S5? |url=https://galaxys5guide.com/samsung-galaxy-s5-how-to-guides/how-to-access-the-hardware-menu-button/ |website=Samsung Galaxy S5 Guide |date=2014-05-07}}</ref> More recent "bezel-less" types have their screen surface space extended to the unit's front bottom to compensate for the display area lost for simulating the navigation keys. While virtual keys offer more potential customizability, their location may be inconsistent among systems depending on screen rotation and software used.
 
Multiple vendors attempted to update or replace their existing smartphone platforms and devices to better-compete with Android and the iPhone; Palm unveiled a new platform known as [[webOS]] for its [[Palm Pre]] in late-2009 to replace [[Palm OS]], which featured a focus on a task-based "card" metaphor and seamless synchronization and integration between various online services (as opposed to the then-conventional concept of a smartphone needing a PC to serve as a "canonical, authoritative repository" for user data).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/01/palm-launches-new-handset-pre-operating-system-at-ces/|title=Palm strikes back with new OS, pre handset at CES|last=Stokes|first=Jon|date=2009-01-08|website=Ars Technica |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/01/of-clouds-palms-webos-and-cutting-the-cord/|title="Synergy" means no need to "save" or "sync" on Palm's pre|last=Stokes|first=Jon|date=2009-01-12|website=Ars Technica |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> [[Hewlett-Packard|HP]] acquired Palm in 2010 and released several other webOS devices, including the [[Pre 3]] and [[HP TouchPad]] tablet. As part of a proposed divestment of its consumer business to focus on enterprise software, HP abruptly ended development of future webOS devices in August 2011, and sold the rights to webOS to [[LG Electronics]] in 2013, for use as a [[smart TV]] platform.<ref>{{cite news|last=Iwatani|first=Yukari|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904070604576516770382416428|title=Pioneering Firm Bows to 'Post-PC World'|date=August 19, 2011|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=November 30, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-21587666|title=HP sells Palm WebOS assets to LG|date=2013-02-26|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-03-02 }}</ref>

[[Research in Motion]] introduced the vertical-sliding [[BlackBerry Torch]] and BlackBerry OS 6 in 2010, which featured a redesigned user interface, support for gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, and a new web browser based on the same [[WebKit]] rendering engine used by the iPhone.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/blackberry-torch-9800-review/|title=BlackBerry Torch 9800 review: BlackBerry Torch 9800|last=Cha|first=Bonnie|website=CNET |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2010/09/21/can-blackerry-torch-compete-with-iphone/|title=Can Blackerry Torch compete with iPhone?|date=2010-09-21|website=Orange County Register |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> The following year, RIM released BlackBerry OS 7 and new models in the [[BlackBerry Bold|Bold]] and Torch ranges, which included a new Bold with a touchscreen alongside its keyboard, and the Torch 9860—the first BlackBerry phone to not include a physical keyboard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/08/03/rim-launches-blackberry-torch-9810-torch-9850-and/|title=RIM launches BlackBerry Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900, we go hands-on!|website=Engadget |date=August 3, 2011 |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> In 2013, it replaced the legacy BlackBerry OS with a revamped, [[QNX]]-based platform known as [[BlackBerry 10]], with the all-touch [[BlackBerry Z10]] and keyboard-equipped [[BlackBerry Q10|Q10]] as launch devices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/30/3929760/blackberry-z10-review|title=BlackBerry Z10 review: a new life, or life support?|last=Topolsky|first=Joshua|date=2013-01-30|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref>

In 2010, Microsoft unveiled a replacement for Windows Mobile known as [[Windows Phone]], featuring a new touchscreen-centric user interface built around [[flat design]] and typography, a home screen with "live tiles" containing feeds of updates from apps, as well as integrated [[Microsoft Office]] apps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/189347/Windows_Phone_7_An_Indepth_Look_at_the_Features_and_Interface.html|title=Windows Phone 7: An In-depth Look at the Features and Interface|date=2010-02-15|website=PCWorld |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> In February 2011, Nokia announced that it had entered into a major partnership with Microsoft, under which it would exclusively use Windows Phone on all of its future smartphones, and integrate Microsoft's [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] search engine and [[Bing Maps]] (which, as part of the partnership, would also license [[Nokia Maps]] data) into all future devices. The announcement led to the abandonment of both Symbian, as well as [[MeeGo]]—a Linux-based mobile platform it was co-developing with Intel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-12427680|title=Nokia and Microsoft form partnership|date=11 February 2011|website=BBC News|access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Weintraub |first=Seth |url=http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/08/nokias-elop-drops-bomb-the-platform-is-on-fire/ |title=Nokia's Elop drops bomb: the platform is on fire |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=2011-02-08 |access-date=2013-06-14 |archive-date=June 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627165328/http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/08/nokias-elop-drops-bomb-the-platform-is-on-fire/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=ben-Aaron|first=Diana|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-11/nokia-joins-forces-with-microsoft-to-challenge-dominance-of-apple-google.html|title=Nokia Falls Most Since July 2009 After Microsoft Deal|date=11 February 2011|publisher=Bloomberg|access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref> Nokia's low-end [[Lumia 520]] saw strong demand and helped Windows Phone gain niche popularity in some markets,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/10/windows-phone-is-now-officially-dead-a-sad-tale-of-what-might-have-been/|title=Windows Phone is now officially dead: A sad tale of what might have been|last=Bright|first=Peter|date=2017-10-09|website=Ars Technica |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref> overtaking BlackBerry in global market share in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/lumia-520-extends-lead-as-most-popular-windows-phone-as-nokia-takes-90-percent-of-the-market/|title=Lumia 520 extends lead as most popular Windows Phone, as Nokia takes 90 percent of the market|last=Tung|first=Liam|website=ZDNet |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/idc-windows-phone-sees-largest-year-over-year-increase-android-still-dominates/|title=IDC: Windows Phone sees largest year-over-year increase, Android still dominates|last=Miller|first=Matthew|website=ZDNet |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref>

In mid-June 2012, [[Meizu]] released its mobile operating system, [[Flyme OS]].

Many of these attempts to compete with Android and iPhone were short-lived. Over the course of the decade, the two platforms became a clear [[duopoly]] in smartphone sales and market share, with BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and other operating systems eventually stagnating to little or no measurable market share.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/16/14634656/android-ios-market-share-blackberry-2016|title=99.6 percent of new smartphones run Android or iOS|last=Vincent|first=James|date=2017-02-16|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/8/20/9181269/gartner-q2-2015-smartphone-sales|title=96.8 percent of new smartphones sold are either iPhone or Android devices|last=Savov|first=Vlad|date=2015-08-20|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref> In 2015, BlackBerry began to pivot away from its in-house mobile platforms in favor of producing Android devices, focusing on a security-enhanced distribution of the software. The following year, the company announced that it would also exit the hardware market to focus more on software and its enterprise middleware,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/au/news/blackberry-to-stop-building-its-own-smartphones/|title=BlackBerry bails on building its own phones|work=CNET|access-date=June 21, 2017 }}</ref> and began to license the BlackBerry brand and its Android distribution to third-party OEMs such as [[TCL Corporation|TCL]] for future devices.<ref name="tc-tcldeal">{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/15/blackberry/|title=TCL signs an exclusive deal to build BlackBerry-branded phones|website=TechCrunch|date=December 15, 2016 |access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref><ref name=gandm-bbpriv>{{cite news|title=BlackBerry bets on Android's apps to buoy new Priv|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/blackberry-revenue-falls-short-adjusted-loss-more-than-expected/article26539263/|access-date=26 September 2015|work=The Globe & Mail}}</ref>

In September 2013, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Nokia's mobile device business for $7.1 billion, as part of a strategy under CEO [[Steve Ballmer]] for Microsoft to be a "devices and services" company.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/8/8910999/microsoft-job-cuts-2015-nokia-write-off|title=Microsoft writes off $7.6 billion from Nokia deal, announces 7,800 job cuts|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2015-07-08|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref> Despite the growth of Windows Phone and the [[Microsoft Lumia|Lumia]] range (which accounted for nearly 90% of all Windows Phone devices sold),<ref name="PocketNowNokia90percent">{{cite news|last=Rivera|first=Jaime|url=http://pocketnow.com/2013/10/18/nokia-owns-90-of-the-windows-phone-market-share|title=Nokia owns 90% of the Windows Phone market share.|date=18 October 2013|newspaper=PocketNow|access-date=February 26, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116181156/http://pocketnow.com/2013/10/18/nokia-owns-90-of-the-windows-phone-market-share|url-status=dead}}</ref> the platform never had significant market share in the key U.S. market,<ref name=":0" /> and Microsoft was unable to maintain Windows Phone's momentum in the years that followed, resulting in dwindling interest from users and app developers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/23/9602350/microsoft-windows-phone-app-removal-windows-store|title=Windows Phone has a new app problem|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2015-10-23|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref> After Balmer was succeeded by [[Satya Nadella]] (who has placed a larger focus on software and cloud computing) as CEO of Microsoft, it took a $7.6 billion [[write-off]] on the Nokia assets in July 2015, and laid off nearly the entire [[Microsoft Mobile]] unit in May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/25/11766344/microsoft-nokia-impairment-layoffs-may-2016|title=Microsoft lays off hundreds as it guts its phone business|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2016-05-25|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/10/16452162/windows-phone-history-glorious-failure|title=Windows Phone was a glorious failure|last=Savov|first=Vlad|date=2017-10-10|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-02-26}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>

Prior to the completion of the sale to Microsoft, Nokia released a series of Android-derived smartphones for [[emerging market]]s known as [[Nokia X family|Nokia X]], which combined an Android-based platform with elements of Windows Phone and Nokia's feature phone platform [[Nokia Asha platform|Asha]], using Microsoft and Nokia services rather than Google.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/24/5440498/nokia-x-android-phone-hands-on|title=This is Nokia X: Android and Windows Phone collide|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2014-02-24|website=The Verge |access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref>