Microsoft delivers Remote Desktop app preview for Windows Phone 8.1
Summary: Microsoft has made available for download a preview version of its Remote Desktop app for Windows Phone 8.1. — On April 23, Microsoft quietly made available for download a preview of its Remote Desktop app for Windows Phone 8.1.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft had confirmed the Windows Phone client was in development in October 2013, after introducing Remote Desktop clients for iOS and Android. The preview fills that platform gap for people running the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview.
The release also extends Microsoft’s Windows Phone productivity-control tooling beyond Office Remote for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, making the phone a way to operate a PC rather than only companion Office software.
First-order effects
- Windows Phone 8.1 preview users can test Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client, while Microsoft delivers the client it had previously said was in development.
- Microsoft’s remote-PC access offering reaches Windows Phone alongside its existing iOS and Android clients.
Second-order effects
- Windows Phone competes more directly for users whose phone choice depends on access to a Windows PC, because the same Microsoft remote-management function is available across the three mobile platforms.
- Microsoft’s own mobile software strategy places greater emphasis on services that keep users connected to Windows PCs, rather than reserving key productivity utilities for one handset platform.
Third-order effects
- If Microsoft continues shipping PC-management tools across mobile platforms, the differentiator shifts from exclusive mobile apps toward the reach of Windows services and workflows.
- The paired Remote Desktop and Office Remote releases point to a broader enterprise-mobile pattern: phones become control surfaces for desktop work as well as standalone computing devices.
The trend: Microsoft is broadening mobile access to Windows productivity and management functions across phone platforms, using service reach to reinforce the PC ecosystem.