I lost this in the shuffle of reviewing Apple Music, but this is a great post on the future of Microsoft. Ars Technica writer Peter Bright points out:
Universal Windows Apps always faced challenges—it’s not easy to make developers adopt a whole new set of APIs—and this challenge has just become a whole lot harder. If the platform doesn’t get serious uptake, and if Win32 remains the main way to reach Windows users, the universal dream will surely be crippled. If Microsoft leaves the phone market entirely, even if it leaves Windows 10 Mobile to third parties, Universal Apps are dead.
I agree. Universal apps were a stepping stone to the idea that your phone could be your one device to rule them all. Considering that Apple wants to sell you as many devices as they can, and Google is just concerned about pushing Chrome and web apps above all else— Microsoft selling you one phone as your main computercould be seductive.