Microsoft: We're Still Committed to Windows 10 Mobile

Despite trouble gaining traction in an iOS- and Android-dominated world, Windows Phone isn't going away just yet.

In a recent email obtained by Windows Central, Windows and Devices Group head Terry Myerson told Microsoft executives and partners that the company believes Windows 10 Mobile has life in it for "many years."

"Let me be very clear: We are committed to deliver Windows 10 on mobile devices with small screen[s] running ARM processors," he wrote. "We are currently in development of our next generation products and I wanted to reconfirm our commitment to Windows 10 Mobile.

"We believe in this product's value to business customers and it is our intention to support the Windows 10 Mobile platform for many years," Myerson added. "We have a device roadmap to support that from Microsoft as well as our OEM partners who will also be selling an expanded lineup of phone devices based on this platform."

The email comes at a time when Microsoft is under immense pressure to attract more people to its platform. Combined, Google's Android and Apple's iOS are expected to own nearly 98 percent of the worldwide smartphone market this year, leaving Windows 10 with just 1.6 percent share, according to research firm IDC. By 2020, Windows market share is expected to slip to 0.9 percent.

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That can be trouble for a company like Microsoft, which has to convince handset makers that it's worth it to offer a Windows Phone. These companies have finite resources to build hardware, and if few people are interested in buying a Windows handsets, it's doesn't make financial sense for partners to go Windows instead of Android.