Has Microsoft lost faith in Windows Phone?

Over the recent week we have been fed a steady diet of apps previously thought to be exclusive to Windows Phone to iOS. Unlike Goodeye above I would not include apps we knew from the start would be cross platform, like SkyDrive or Lync.

However apps like Xbox Live, Halo Waypoint and Kinectimals were certainly not expected to arrive on iOS, and their announcement, without any run-up, also came as much of a surprise and had a certain air of sneakiness to it.

Now we know the arguments that Microsoft is a software company who make their money where they can, and there is a certain validity to that.  We also get the argument that this increases Microsoft’s exposure on the dominant mobile platforms, which would help the company appear less irrelevant.

On the other hand, Microsoft is more than a software vendor.  They are also a platform company, with Windows the main product and Xbox 360 another.  Windows Phone was meant to be the third screen, but we know via Steve Ballmer that Microsoft is disappointed with the sales so far.

With the release of a flood of iOS, are we seeing Plan B in action – the plan were Windows Phone does not rise to 20% market share and where Microsoft does not have a relevant mobile platform of its own.

It is interesting that much of this movement coincides with the transfer of Andy Lees, which many see as a demotion, away from Windows Phone. It has been said that this is part of a more results-focussed approach by Microsoft, where underperformance does not remain unpunished.  While Andy can boast having 10% as many apps as iOS, having only 2% of the market share is likely well below target.

Do our readers feel like Goodeye above – that all Microsoft’s crown jewels will come to iOS in any case, in many cases better and first, or are we over-reacting? Let us know below.