Steps Microsoft Must Take To Get Its A-Game Back In 2016

Just a few hours back, I covered Microsoft's disappointing Q4 2015 stats in terms of smartphones being sold in the vast mobile market. What are the reasons for these disappointing figures.

The graph presented by the IDC research shows that the sales are even lower than the ones in 2012, the era of Windows Phone 7 and the advent of Windows Phone 8. There were many fantastic releases from that time on, Lumia 1020, Lumia 1520 and Icon etc but now I don't even see a single Windows Phone Advert when I turn on my TV. What happened?

When Microsoft announced Windows 10, they said they will make it their top priority to get developers on board on the mobile segment and boast the Windows Store credibility by some exclusive titles. 2016 has started, January has gone past but we see no signs of any ground breaking moves from Microsoft. So again, what happened?

I was just having a debate with a friend of mine regarding this very topic, he pointed out that Windows Phones have excellent app optimization and are more responsive than any other Android alternative on the market. Granted that's true, but you need to have an apps portfolio in order to compare it with another ecosystem. Windows Store has around 700,000 apps and then you have Android with 1.6 Million. The difference is huge.

Below listed are some few steps which I think Microsoft should implement in order to get back into the mobile market:

Developers, developers, developers:

Lets face it, Android and iOS both pay their developers handsomely. Whether the developer is just a teenager or a full fledged Software house, equal importance and incentives are given. They can easily make revenue from the market, they are invited to store to publish their product because they know its the only way to stay alive in this competitive market.
If Microsoft intends to attract users, it must first offer incentives and portals just for developers to make apps for their store. The big advantage for Microsoft here is that they could also cross transfer to Desktops and so on, therefore increasing their database too.

Product Lines and Pricing Points:

With the vast number of Chinese manufacturers on the market and their damn hell affordable phones, It's only wise to release phones that target various markets. Microsoft is correct in essence of releasing 6 phones targeting different pricing points but they should release at least 10 phones per year in order to get more sales.
2 flagships are good, 3 should be high end, 2 in mid range and 3 in budget based pricing point. Its about pricing according to the hardware that will make the product shine. Introduce products to compete with ones that are currently trending and you will have competition in the market.

Marketing:

Like I said, it has been quite loooooong since I have seen a Windows Phone Advert on my TV. They need to step up their advertising campaign to get more customers. Digital side cannot be neglected.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Microsoft can bounce back in 2016?