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Google Won’t Make Apps For Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8, Yet

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According to a V3 report Google doesn’t see a big demand for its services on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, and therefore won’t create apps for either platform.

When talking to the UK publication V3 Google Apps director Clay Bavor said the company has no current plans to make apps for Windows Phone 8 and WIndows 8. The company doesn’t see a lot of its users on either platform. If that changes, however, the company will consider making its apps for the platforms.

Google does have a basic search app on both platforms, but nothing beyond that. That means any Windows Phone users has to use Internet Explorer to access Google services like Gmail and Drive. The only problem on WIndows Phone 8 is Google’s websites don’t recognize mobile IE as a modern browser.Windows-Phone-8-devices-575x340

For Windows 8 and WIndows RT there isn’t as much of an issue because IE 10 can view the same websites as any other desktop browser. Windows 8 users can also install Google Chrome as their browser. Windows RT users can’t install Chrome because Microsoft doesn’t give browser developers the tools they need to work on the platform.

Bavon said that Google views Android and iOS as its top two mobile platforms to support. The company makes Android, so that platform gets most new Google apps first. Google doesn’t ignore iPhone users, however. The company recently released Google Maps and a new version of Gmail into the App Store for iOS users.

If Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 gain more users Google will likely do something to support the platforms, even if it just adds IE to its list of supported mobile browsers. For now Microsoft fans have to rely on Microsoft’s built-in apps like Bing, SkyDrive, Microsoft Office and Outlook. For those who aren’t fully invested in Google’s services Microsoft’s offerings are likely all they need.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. jayj

    12/13/2012 at 11:18 am

    I would not touch google’s (tax dodging) Cr*p with a bargepole! Windows phone does not need google for anything. Office, xbox, skydrive and windows integration is not a club that google could possibly ever be invited….eeek!

    • txguy

      12/14/2012 at 8:22 pm

      Most of the people use Google rather than bing. Most of the people use Gmail rather than hotmail. Most of the people use youtube rather than ——–(non from Microsoft).

  2. Kent ma

    12/17/2012 at 4:45 pm

    who cares? Why would I want their stupid app when the browser works, it is all marketing strategy

  3. Kaffeguy

    12/26/2012 at 9:58 am

    Please get Google chrome browser & maps to the Windows Phone 8. My friends and I were talking about the need for the chrome browser and Google maps on Windows Phone 8. most of us were even willing to pay for both the maps and the browser.

  4. DanInTheRockies

    03/29/2013 at 6:54 pm

    I was just watching a Google Chrome commercial, touting how you can have all these things on all your devices. I got on Google to search for Chrome for Windows 8 Phone, since I am considering a move from my iPhone to Windows 8 Phone to go along with my awesome Surface Pro I just got. It turns out there is no Chrome for Windows 8 Phone, which is how I got here (to this post), ironically using Chrome and searching on Google, within Windows 8 running in a virtual machine on my MacBook Pro Retina Display. My reference to all these products I use is to make it clear I am not a fanboy of anyone, I use all types of devices, and pick the ones that are the best and most innovative. I think Windows 8 Pro (forget useless RT) and Windows Phone 8 are in the lead right now from the innovation perspective.

    Back on topic… I read a book about the founding and growth of Google, and their mantra was “Never Be Evil.” Clearly Windows Phone 8 is a great operating system, on some pretty good hardware, in most cases. I think Google’s lack of support for Windows Phone 8 is a clear case of “being evil” in the sense that they do not want to legitimize the platform by porting their applications to run on it. It has nothing to do with the market for the phone OS, but rather trying to keep one more phone operating system from getting traction. Obviously iOS and Android lead the market in shipment volume, no argument here. Why play unfair in the sense of not providing your applications on other phone platforms. It will increase the revenue stream in Google’s classical business model. The only reason not to support the Windows Phone 8 platform, is to try to keep it from seeming legitimate to the uninformed by not having all the Google apps that are ubiquitous on every other platform.

    • Kaffeguy

      03/29/2013 at 8:40 pm

      Yes, I do like Windows 8, and Windows 8 phone is awesome. Unfortunately not too many people are jumping on the Windows 8 bandwagon. AT&T just started to sell the Nokia 920 for $0.99. I hope Microsoft picks up. They are trying. I hear that Blackberry will be able to use Google apps. Why is google making ti difficult for Microsoft?

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