From Windows Phone to Windows 10

The less, in this instance, is the "Phone" bit of the Windows Phone name. Microsoft confirmed that it plans to drop "Windows Phone" in favor of the name of its next-generation operating system, Windows 10.
By dropping the Windows Phone distinction and going with Windows 10, Microsoft wants to reinforce the idea that all its devices -- no matter what shape or size -- will run on a single platform. The company thinks this family approach will be critical to driving consumer awareness and interest for Windows-powered products, particularly on the mobile end, where Microsoft lags far behind larger rivals Google and Apple.
It couldn't hurt. Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system held a paltry 2.9 percent of the market in the third quarter of 2014, according to IDC. In comparison, Android dominated with 84 percent of the market, and Apple was second with a nearly 12 percent slice.
"I think using the Windows 10 name is the right move," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Kantar Worldpanel. "It is one Windows with one experience that adapts to the format but remains consistent."

The world's first peek at Windows 10 on a Windows phone.

Microsoft said at its "Next Chapter" event on Wednesday that it plans to have a version of Windows 10 "tailored" for devices with screen sizes that are smaller than 8 inches.
"It's designed to go with your PC as a great companion," said Joe Belfiore, vice president of the operating systems group.
Despite improvements and new features coming to smartphones with Windows 10, broader problems still plague Windows Phone. Its breadth of apps, though steadily improving, still lags behind that of Google's Android and Apple's iOS, with developers hesitant to invest in the platform. Aside from the former Nokia mobile-devices division, now part of Microsoft, support from the handset manufacturers is minimal. The smartphones that do run on Windows Phone suffer from limited distribution and visibility in stores.
Raising the awareness level of a phone-centric Windows 10 might go a long way toward solving those problems. Milanesi said that Microsoft's strategy of pushing Windows services in PCs and desktops could eventually have people looking at smartphones too.
"We want to move from people needing Windows to choosing Windows to living Windows," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the event.