Microsoft confirms Windows Phone is being laid to rest

Microsoft has finally confirmed what most of us already knew: the Windows Phone is dead. 

In a series of tweets, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore explained the tech giant is no longer focused on creating new features and hardware for Windows 10 mobile.

Although the firm will continue to offer basic support, with no new developments in the works, the platform is effectively being laid to rest. 

"Of course we'll continue to support the platform with bug fixes and security updates," tweeted Belfiore, who steers the Windows ship for Microsoft, "but building new features and hardware isn't the focus." 

The tech giant's mobile experiment unofficially ended last summer, when it "streamlined" its mobile division just three years after splashing out $7.2 billion to acquire Nokia. 

While many saw that as the end of its involvement in the smartphone market, Microsoft hadn't officially commented until now. This, it seems, is the final nail in the coffin. 

For those wondering why Windows Phone failed to take hold, there's no real mystery to unravel. The simple fact is that the platform never came close to competing with iOS and Android, so developers weren't willing to give it the time of day. 

Microsoft tried to win devs over with incentives, but with such a small share of the market -- data suggests Windows Phone peaked with a market share of 3 percent in 2013 -- selling the platform to creators became an increasingly arduous proposition.

"We have tried very hard to incentivise app developers," continued Belfiore. "We paid money and even wrote apps for them, but the volume of users is too low for most companies to invest."

Microsoft is now focused on bringing core software, such as its Office productivity suite and Edge web browser, to Android and iOS.