In a move that, frankly, surprises no-one, Britain's largest phone retailer has stopped selling Microsoft Lumia phones.
The folks at Neowin broke the news:
This week, the company ended sales of its last Microsoft Lumia device, leaving just a single Windows 10 Mobile handset available to purchase.
Before everyone cries out in panic, it's important to remember just when the last Lumia phone was launched. I bought one of our in-house Lumia 650 units from my local Carphone Warehouse store in March 2016. 15 months ago. The Lumia 950 was the final phone to continue being sold, and while Neowin reports that some stores will still have physical stock, it's now the end of the road.
While it's sad, yes, the larger context is that this was an easy decision to make. Microsoft has no new Lumia phones to sell people, and from a business perspective, that space in the store can be used by any number of new Android phones that roll out on a monthly basis. It's just business. If Microsoft isn't giving Carphone Warehouse anything to sell, the company cannot sell anything. Even the Microsoft Store in the UK isn't selling Lumia phones anymore.
It's not as if Carphone Warehouse has suddenly decided it just doesn't like Windows phones, either. You can still buy the excellent HP Elite x3 there which, while pricey, is still the absolute best Windows 10 Mobile phone on the market today. The Alcatel Idol 4S still hasn't quite made it to Europe yet.
So, we'll pour one out for our old friend the Lumia, but times have changed, sadly. Stores can't sell what doesn't exist.
