Here's why Microsoft's VP of operating systems Joe Belfiore thinks CIOs should buy into Windows Phone

'App gap' is closing, says Windows 10 chief

Microsoft VP of the operating systems group, Joe Belfiore, believes Microsoft is now near to closing the "app gap", and that CIOs should "keep considering" Windows Phone for its standout app leveraging advantages for the enterprise IT department.

In conversation during Microsoft's TechEd Europe conference earlier this week, Computing asked the veteran Windows designer - who has worked on all desktop and mobile iterations of the OS since Windows 3.1 - to sell Windows Phone to a hypothetical CIO as an enterprise mobility solution.

"I think, right now, probably most CIOs are heavily influenced in their perspective of phones by what the end users are looking for," he said.

"Right now the biggest issue with end-user demand for Windows Phone in general is still - in combination with perception, I think - the reality of the app gap."

Belfiore claimed that Microsoft has "made a lot of progress" in closing the app gap (i.e. the relative paucity of apps for the platform compared with Apple iOS and Android), and that it "continues to get better and better".

"We have heard from a lot of people that get Windows phones, that they're satisfied," he said.

"If you're a super high-end early adopter of apps, it's probably not the best platform choice for you, but if you're not ... we see tons of people who are highly satisfied with it.

"As Windows 8.1 in general increases its volume, we see more and more software developers getting engaged on that platform, and that addresses the app gap," he added.

Moving on to the topic of the next iteration of Windows Phone - presumably Windows Phone 10 - Belfiore refused to discuss details, but did state that Universal Apps - which uses shared APIs across desktop and mobile to more easily run apps on both - is a "big thrust" for Microsoft's ambitions in mobility.

"I'd say for corporate IT, as you're looking at more modern versions of Windows - Windows 8.1, Windows 10 - for deployment within your company, Windows Phone will be a great choice for you to keep considering because of the fact that you can leverage apps - as IT - right across all those devices," Belfiore told Computing.

"As we get that platform out there, I think we're going to close the app gap, and you'll find users that are highly satisfied with Windows Phone, and view it as a perfectly good alternative to iOS and Android."