Microsoft Previews Windows Phone 8 (But it’s not for Everyone)

Microsoft Previews Windows Phone 8 (But it's not for Everyone)

Many of you know that I recently made the move over to Windows Phone as my daily driver. On the whole I’ve been pretty happy with it, but my big hopes have been pinned around the potential the platform has. Today MS made some announcements about the upcoming Windows Phone 8 (OS and devices)– some good.. some bad. As a recent Windows Phone convert, these announcements definitely had an impact on me, and I thought we might take a look at exactly what was announced… and what it might mean for the future of Windows Phone.

Apps: Windows Phone currently has more than 100,000 apps.  This was a major recent milestone and Microsoft officially confirmed it today.  The more interesting thing about the announcement was the fast that they included the two Zynga titles, Words with Friends and Draw Something, in the announcement even though those games are not currently available for Windows Phone.   That suggests they are coming soon (Nokia owners will get a 2 month exclusive and release it tentatively set to “fall”) and THAT is great news for those of us who have hoped to see those titles on the platform!

Windows Phone 8: The big show was, of course, all about showing off Windows Phone 8.  The Windows Phone 8 is a ground-up rewrite of the OS- even though the OS is the newest of the major mobile operating systems.  Metro apps will work on Windows Phone 8. That means the same apps that will run on the upcoming Windows RT and Pro tablets and Windows 8 will run on Microsoft’s phone OS too. That’s good news for people who use various devices.

Announcements were made by AT&T, and T-Mobile that they are committed to the having devices running the new OS before the end of the year.  Verizon also indicated plans to carry Windows Phone 8 device  but offered no hard date.  Sprint made no committment at all.

Devices running Windows Phone 8 will initially come from a variety of manufacturers that includes Nokia, Huawei, HTC, and Samsung.  That is a smaller number of companies than supported Windows Phone 7.x, but it is still respectable.

The new devices will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 plus processor. (By comparison, the current Nokia Lumia 900 is powered by a Snapdragon S2).

Windows Phone 8 will support more than twice as many languages as the current Windows Phone 7.5 devices (MS boasts that this is more than Apple).   It will support multitasking.  It will support in-app purchases.  It will support OTA (over-the-air) updates.  It will offer better voice support.  It will have IE 10.  It will have the capability to support microSD cards.  It will have a better UI (more tile sizes and flexibility). And it will support higher-resolution screens.

All of this is great news for anyone who plans on purchasing one of the new Windows Phone 8 handsets when they arrive.

But it is not all good news. Not by a long shot, so lets look at the bad stuff…

NO current devices will be upgradeable to Windows Phone 8.  That’s right – none.  Zero. Zip. Nada. Klum. NONE!!!! Even the Lumia 900, just released a few weeks ago will be obsolete by year’s end.

MS IS going to “throw a bone” to current users by giving them Windows Phone 7.8, which will feature the new start screen, and “a few more features” (none of which were delineated). That’s it. People who invested in MS’ fledgling OS get a new start screen. Seriously?  (And no, I can’t even take the phrase “a few other features” seriously since we have no idea what those are supposed to be and promises like that from a company who is sunsetting every one of their recent devices within a year or so, if not a few month!  This is not a good thing.

And it gets worse… (as if that were possible.)

The new OS supports native apps.  Currently, under Windows Phone 7.x, developers must write apps based on Silverlight (among other things).  This means apps don’t run as efficiently as they could.  What does that mean?  It means that developers are going to be developing for the new OS so they can write native apps that will be more efficient and perform better.  That also means that their apps will be compatible with Windows Phone 8 and everything going forward, but NOT with Windows Phone 7.x.  In other words, developers are likely to limit or stop developing using Silverlight and the other methods available that support application development for Windows Phone 7.x devices.

So all current Windows Phone owners basically just got told that their device is obsolete.  Period.  Yup – even the just released Windows Phone flagship, the Nokia Lumia 900.  Obsolete.  So if you were hoping that a particular specialty app might someday be available, it just became a lot less likely.  Again – not good.

But you know, I get it.  The new OS has features that require a more powerful processor so we can’t run it on current devices.  But the Lumia 900 just came out!  And it is supposed to be the “premier” Window Phone device.  Really?  This sure doesn’t feel like it – obsoleted less than 2 months after release!   Even Apple supports current devices better and longer than that!  And even when Apple doesn’t offer all the new features to older devices, the apps generally remain compatible.  Not so here.  Again, developers can keep developing for Windows Phone 7.x and they will run on Windows Phone 8, RT, etc., but why would they?  In Windows Phone 8 they can develop natively so that their apps will perform a lot better.  So, again, in essence, it basically means that current Windows Phone 7.x users will soon be abandoned from an application development standpoint.  If Apple or Google made this kind of announcement the screams would be deafening, but there just aren’t that many Windows Phone users yet – maybe that’s why MS feels we are “an acceptable loss”.

Yeah – disappointment only begins to describe it.

Nokia is trying to mitigate the damage a bit for its customers by saying they will continue to support current devices and they have new software titles coming out for their devices (sorry HTC and Samsung owners, you’re not invited to the party).  But really, that is small compensation for being told you now own an obsolete device.

I’m not unrealistic.  The reality is, that when you purchase a device you are not usually guaranteed updates.  No one “owes” you anything.  I know that any given company needs to move their platform forward.   And yes, I know it’s unreasonable to expect full support for “legacy devices” going forward, but I’ll admit that, in the case of Windows Phone, I did hope for at least a better 7.x update.  Or I hoped they would offer a big discount or other incentive to encourage those of us using Windows Phone 7.x  to move to Windows Phone 8 (something that could still happen).  So, right now this event feels just like another in a long stream of MS PR screw-ups and mistakes.  And as one of the now-apparent Windows Phone “beta testers” I have to say that it doesn’t feel good.  Not good at all.

There’s no good way to take being dumped.  None at all.

So here is the bottom line- Today MS announced reaching 100,000 Windows Phone apps. 100,000 apps that run on devices that, just a few moment later, they threw under the bus along with everyone who threw their tech-hat in the ring with them. Nice, huh?

How about you?  Are you a current Windows Phone 7.x user?  What do you think of todays announcements?

 

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About the Author

Christopher Gavula
Chris has been a COBOL programmer, a desktop support technician, network engineer, telecommunications manager, and even a professional musician. Currently, he is focused on deploying Voice over IP technologies in a large, corporate setting. He started working full-time at the tender age of 14, even before there were PCs, and will probably be working and trying to finish “just one more project” as he’s lowered into the grave.

33 Comments on "Microsoft Previews Windows Phone 8 (But it’s not for Everyone)"

  1. Chris, I think you should re-title your article to “Smoked by Windows Phone Becomes Screwed by Windows Phone” 😉

    Pardon my French, but what a cluster**** by Microsoft and shades of WinMo 6.x to WinPho 7.x. Is there anyone awake at their marketing helm? This is going to generate a lot of ill will towards them. I know they want to integrate mobile and desktop devices under a single kernel in W8, but I think they’ve just killed off a lot of what little market share they started to gain traction with. You’re right: Microsoft has in many ways thrown recent Windows Phone adopters under the bus. No real upgrade path for their new flagship phone and strangulation of app development for existing 7.x user base mere couple of MONTHS after the Lumia 900 intro. I think the latter issue is the more egregious issue, because while folks like me are happy with their WinPhones, that a developing app store and

    Will the booby prize of 7.8 still require Silverlight-only code? If so, then such phones have been rendered into white elephants. What small developer, budding or established, is going to want to devote ergs to a forked mobile OS?

    In many ways I feel sorry for Nokia…they’ve essentially been left holding the bag, and HTC and others now seem wiser for not jumping into the Microsoft (Silverlight) dev pool and line up hardware to support an OS that is being rapidly phased out. I think this is going to hurt Nokia a lot…they got a lot of praise for their handling of the activation/data usage debacle, and they’ve done a lot to make the OS shine (at least on Nokia devices), but Microsoft’s announcement put egg on Nokia’s face. I suppose though Nokia may have had to known, but folks are going to be thinking twice about investing in any Windows Phone products if the device future is so questionable

    You know, I’ve never quite bought MS’s “the new OS needs more CPU horsepower” argument. I’ve dabbled enough with Linux to know better, and the performance gains of Windows 7 over Vista on the same hardware doesn’t lend much credence either. Though in fairness to Microsoft, perhaps the way they’d like to better integrate the mobile with the desktop will require more robust hardware, but…I dunno. 😉

  2. You summed it up pretty well. Just got a Lumia 900 myself and while I like the device for what it does now, I’m pretty disappointed that MS just dropped support for it. Waiting for those showcased WP devices that have been topping Amazon to just disappear from the top 10 list now…. I get that sometimes new hardware is required, but losing native app support, the integrated VOIP stack, better BG apps, and being thrown the bone of “but you get a better start screen” was a slap in the face. Even watching the Nokia presentation you could tell that he was just dreading what he had to say. Having to walk out and tell your customers that they just re-upped their contract and now will only get a handful of apps for their money and loyalty must have really hurt. (And yeah, this feels just like the PPC, WinMo days, but without the help from XDA Devs for the Lumia 900 so far….)

    I will say that what was shown for WP8 devices looks amazing. MS has come a long way with the OS and what they plan to release will make a really strong competitor in the mobile OS world. I’m not giving up on the platform as a whole. My wife would really appreciate a lot of that coupon and wallet stuff MS was showing off. The native app support will be a great enabler for some real competition. Expandable storage through microSD cards is long overdue, especially with the really low minimum specs MS keeps enabling. Over the air OS updates (that _might_ be bypassing carriers according to some rumors) will be a great feature. There’s a lot to look forward to with what’s coming.

    Am I disappointed and a bit frustrated? Yes – but mostly because I just re-upped for a Lumia 900. Had I not done that, I’d still be disappointed, but holding off on that upgrade for another 4 months or so. I’m hoping Nokia can come up with a lot more than what they demo’d to help out the owners of the now “beta” smartphone. 😛 While unlikely, MS & Nokia could do quite a bit to try to make things right for their customers in some way. It’s also possible that 7.8 may see more than just a start screen update. In the meantime, I probably will upgrade my wife’s phone to a WP8 device and will consider saving up towards a full device purchase of some sort for myself. I don’t see myself switching to an Apple device and really do prefer my WP device over my Android.

  3. Francis Scardino | June 21, 2012 at 7:50 am |

    Great Write-up Chris. That is a total bummer about the state of current phones running 7.X. I am guessing that MS did not have this planned when WP7 first came out, but is taking the plunge now and attempting damage control with 7.8. I think it’s a great plan to have all the native coded apps running on 3 platforms. And I would guess that will be the answer for them from this point on. I guess they just decided to take the hit now rather than later.

    It’s not easy to look past if you are a current user of WP7 products but for those that do hold out and stick with MS will probably be happy later on down the line when “everything runs on everything.” As we saw in the Surface presentation I think MS has some DRAMATIC changing up in the past two years behind the scenes and decided to change direction a little bit. What I am excited about is the cross platform availability of future apps. MS is indeed the first to attempt to pull this off. I really hope for them it works out.

    Bryan,
    Unfortunately the hardware limitation excuse might be the only valid one. As MS touted unified structure when WP7 first came out they guaranteed that all devices will be created equal (internally speaking) so that fragmentation and upgrades were easy. Let’s face it, WP7 phones are not blowing the doors off of anything with the current specs. I’m not saying they don’t run very well, I’m just saying even the latest phones released are pretty much spec’ed as 2010 or older hardware (IMO).

    With the new code capabilities, API’s, Metro, etc I can’t imagine WP8 running all that well on older phones anyway. I’m not saying users don’t deserve the shot, I’m just saying the experience will be greatly reduced. More cores and RAM especially really do make a difference with some of the way software runs today, I know the original iPad suffers from certain newer apps as well as plenty of Android phones that run new stuff poorly. With a single core, low Ram, lack of certain sensors the current WP7 phones would miss out on a lot of WP8 features.

    Overall I am happy with the claims that MS is making for the future of Windows Mobile. Do I think it’s a raw deal for those who just bought a 900 or any other recent phone? Absolutely. I guess they wanted to cut the lifeline and take the loss now in hopes to pull in even more in the future. As we all know this is NOT new practice for MS to anger their current customers and fan base. Let’s just hope they live up to all the promise.

  4. Yes, Windows Phone 7.x apps are written using Silverlight or XNA (which will also be supported under Windows Phone 8). There is no native app support in Windows Phone 7.x. I think that’s partly due to the fact that they “rushed” Windows Phone 7 out the door to compete with iOS/Android (both of which support native apps). To get the OS out the door quickly they kind of kept the WIndows CE core that previous WIndows Mobile was based on and put different “upper layers” on it. That way they could get it out in a much shorter time. Now they are switching the core to what is essentially a Windows NT core, same as all the flavors of Windows 8. It is closest to the core found in the new Windows RT tablet, but my understanding is that it is slightly different, but all flavors will support Metro apps and all will share core APIs, but none of that will be compatible with the first gen devices. So I get the move from a technical standpoint, but of course that means that 7.x devices were just kind of a stop-gap. If you look at what MS has said all along, this was kind of indirectly implied, I guess, but MS has a habit of talking in vagueries so you often can’t really nail them down. Even in the new announcements they used phrases like “a few more features”. What does that even mean?

  5. I think they actually may have had it planned all along (more or less). They needed to have time until their current strategy was ready. The details may have changed a bit, but I think the overall strategy was in place for a long time. But I also think the argument that the current processors can’t run it may also be valid. The processors in the current devices are NOT the top of the line processors, which also is partly why their battery life is generally better than current iOS/Android devices.
    I think MS actually has a long history of angering customers, but they manage it by gaining more customers than they make mad so it works out for them in the end. I really think they consider the current WP user base as “acceptable losses” since the current market share is so low.

  6. Well I have an iPhone and a Lumia 900 (and an HTC Evo 3D). I bought my Lumia 900 on eBay so that I wouldn’t use my AT&T upgrade. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stay with Windows Phone or go back to iOS when iOS 6 and the next iPhone came out. So this fall, when both options should be available, I can decide what I want to do.
    And I think Nokia is doing all it can to provide damage control for it’s customers. That doesn’t help non-Nokia owners, though. I’m sure Nokia has known the end-game for a while since they have already announced Windows Phone 8 devices, but I don’t think they really had a choice, either. At least they are trying to support their existing customers by continuing to offer new apps. It helps a bit.

  7. Here is a thought … Microsoft is saying officially what Android is doing in practice. 7% adoption after nearly a year? That is a joke. Google announcing 18 month support? At best it was wishful thinking, at worst total BS. When you buy an Android phone you have a better than even chance that it is essentially unsupported abandon ware from day one.

  8. Great write up Chris and a lot of good comments already. I thought I would add my two cents. Personally, I really find it outrageous that they would do this. They have been asking developers to write apps for a fledgling OS even as there are too rapidly maturing powerful up earning systems already on the market. In addition, they asked consumers to take a gamble with them and buy devices running a fledgling operating system even when there worked a huge number of apps yet available for the platform. The platform has matured to a large extent and the selection of applications has grown tremendously but those who early on adopted the operating system and took a risk with Microsoft are now being told that the company really doesn’t appreciate or respect their consumers. The message they’re making is quite clear – buyer beware.
    When it comes to devices that are as expensive as smart phones and the fact that, very often, we make a two-year commitment when we get such a device, the “buyer beware” approach doesn’t work for me.
    While I know I may come off as too big of an Apple fan boy I can’t help but point out that Apple has not pulled this type of thing. Yes, the first update for the iPod touch required you to pay a few dollars – that was an accounting issue – but since then new updates have been free and have only been unavailable for devices when the device was deemed not powerful enough to run it. That shows a commitment to having devices that runs smoothly and a commitment to the consumer. I like putting my money with companies who show that.

    Most likely written with Siri. Please excuse any and all errors.

  9. I’ll have to wait and see with Nokia. The apps they announced were less than inspiring. The camera app was kind of nice, but still not a “glad I bought a Nokia” moment. I felt for the guy when he took the stage, especially after that great “no existing device upgrade path” lead-up. I had definitely hoped for more than the handful of apps they showed off and when he left, I was pretty disappointed. They likely didn’t have a lot of choice, but with the way they’ve been marketing the Lumia 900, it sure feels misleading.

    We’ll have to wait and see what the actual update brings for the existing devices. If they’re not left too far behind and can keep up with most of the new apps that aren’t native code or hardware dependent, it won’t be too bad. If there are a ton of great new apps that won’t run on WP7.x devices come launch day, that will just add more insult to this mess.

    As I mentioned, I still like the platform and think it has a lot of promise. I just don’t particularly care for the way MS handled their existing customers, especially those who just re-upped for a new device. That’s not the way to inspire brand loyalty and I seriously doubt it will help their unit sales for the next several months.

  10. I totally agree. I’m glad I have a Nokia (as opposed to a different WP device), but I’m still not very happy. Nokia’s app announcements aren’t a “fix” but at least Nokia is trying to do something – and Nokia users will have the Zynga apps ona 2 month exclusive too. And I also felt bad for the Nokia guy. Even if Nokia knew ahead of time (and they HAD to know ahead of time) it was still a tough thing to have to play right after MS drops the bomb.

  11. Thanks, Dan. And I agree with you. At the risk of sounding too much like a “fan boy”, despite some missteps, Apple never treated it’s customers the way that MS is treating current customers right now. There is still a window where they could make it a bit better by offering a big incentive to move to WP 8, or make an agreement with AT&T to help make current WP owners eligible for upgrades – something more than “a new front page”. Again – when you buy a device there are no set promises of upgrades, absolutely true, but, as you indicated, people put themselves out there for MS by trying their fledgling platform and supporting it by buying devices and apps only to get told its a total dead end. Too bad, so sad.

  12. So maybe we should “thank” MS for coming out and saying it rather than stringing us along with a false hope? 😉 At least Android users didn’t get told that app support for their platform has effectively ended.

  13. Well not really … While now obsolete WP devices had hardware commonality, Android fragmentation is more due to hardware than the OS. With new WP there is a real OS division … Which will likely destroy much of the app market as well as killing any good will from early adopters …

    As an aside, I know Francis likes to talk specs, but OS efficiency is also important, and an important side effect of Android hardware diversity is rather sluggish performance. I know my HTC 7 Pro runs better than Android phones with better specs. So the hardware argument isn’t always so clear …

  14. That’s absolutely true. And the hardware issue (along with the “shell” issue makes performance comparisons on various Android devices challenging at best.
    I know that the indication is that all of the new Windows Phone 8 devices will run on the same processor – the Snapdragon S4 Plus. And that is significantly more powerful than the S2 that powers the Lumia 900 (The HTC Titan/Titan / Radar 4G, Samsung Focus Flash and Focus S are also based on the S2).
    I am glad for the move to a nearly common core. I am glad for the move to native apps – both will be huge leaps for the platform, but that doesn’t change the fact that current customers still get screwed and MS now has an even bigger PR hurdle to overcome. Specs don’t sell devices.

  15. I’m really hoping that someone at Microsoft is reading this thread. After all, there are a number of us who are huge fans of the iPhone who have tried Windows phone and really like the platform and the combination of the operating system and some of the current hardware. We have happily sung the praises of the operating system and really referred to it in glowing terms. For us to be this angry and frustrated by their move here says a lot and we are the ones who have already been swayed by the platform.
    I really do think that this has the potential to be a public relations nightmare for them and it couldn’t come at a worse time. The platform is attractive and maturing nicely but the negative press the art likely getting from this – and we certainly aren’t helping – is enough to slow things down and they can’t afford that right now.
    I really do like the suggestion that Chris had. Microsoft should work with carriers to make current owners of Windows phone devices eligible for upgrades earlier then they would otherwise be eligible. That step in and of itself would make a huge difference as far as the change they are making and, in my opinion, would be a terrific investment on Microsoft’s part

    Most likely written with Siri. Please excuse any and all errors.

  16. Francis Scardino | June 21, 2012 at 9:59 am |

    It is true that hardware is not everything, but in this case it is. I would find your argument valid if you took the SAME software and put it on two different hardware platforms and found them to run equally. Would a HTC HD7 running WP8 run as fast as a native WP8 phone? Maybe, but no doubt would be limited in the things it could due specifically because of hardware. I’ll say the iPad argument again, iPad 1 vs iPad 2/3 with the SAME games and certain apps running is no comparison. I 100% give that difference due to hardware since you could at one time run the exact same OS version on the 1 and 2.

    The fact that your HTC 7 Pro runs better than X phone on Android is definitely software. The Mytouch Slide came out a few years back and people complained at first since the specs were rather lacking. But the way HTC optimized the OS it actually ran beautifully and more smooth than most “better” models. But on the same token a “superphone” of that time with the latest and greatest surely had capabilities that the Slide did not, even if it did not run as smoothly as the Slide.

    WP8 does indeed require better spec’ed hardware. It’s obvious by what we know so far how much more intensive it is over WP7. I believe it’s all about capability. People cry about Android fragmentation because they see a new phone come out with a new OS or App, and they cant have it on their current. I think MS is trying to avoid that whole issue from future on. Sure it’s better for everyone who already dropped a few bucks on current hardware, but if the current hardware cannot run all the new features of WP8, then what good is it really to those who have older phones? I agree updates and optimizations should and will keep coming, but they made the call and now have to deal with it.

  17. ICS is 7% after 6 months or so (that number is from May; ICS was released in late November), and that number will start going up dramatically as more HTC One series, Samsung Galaxy S III and other native ICS phones are released, as well as major Gingerbread phones like the Galaxy SII series, a number of HTC phones, and the Moto Razr series, Bionic and Atrix phones get their upgrades in the next month or two. This is not all that dissimilar from Gingerbread; the first Froyo phones to get updates did not get them until about 5 to 6 months after Gingerbread shipped. ICS from GB is a much bigger update compared with Gingerbread from Froyo.

    Apple, of course, is great at updates, but they now come with an asterisk – even currently shipping devices that will get iOS 6 (the iPhone 4 and 3Gs) will not get all iOS functions.

    That said, I’ve decided not to expect any updates to my phone at all. That may be a better mindset going forward. I do think it’s a shame that recent WP devices have no upgrade path, but when you see what Microsoft decided to do, it’s not all that surprising, and this may be the last time that something like this happens with the platform.

  18. I would agree that a substantive discount for those users who picked up a WP 7.5 device, particularly with a carrier upgrade, would go a long way in ameliorating disenchanted buyers. Dan’s other comment below about “buyer beware” is on the money…people curious about the Windows platform may very well take a wait-and-see approach.

  19. I think that is a really good plan. If you go into something not expecting an update you won’t be disappointed. That said, I do think the timing and choices MS is making are not wise. When you have the new platform on the block and need to gain momentum you don’t want to do anything that could possibly alienate the early adopters.
    I like Windows Phone and really want it to succeed. This makes it a bit more difficult.
    Sent from my iPad

  20. AND… Anyone buying a phone now would be silly to buy a windows phone. There is a reason Apple doesn’t announce updated hardware until it is close to shipping. That avoided people holding back their purchase. My suggestion to anyone looking for a phone- buy on another platform or get a used Windows Phone device so you aren’t locked in.
    Sent from my iPad

  21. @google-31ca1dad78cae1eb6e0ac627baa54cd5:disqus Yeah, I admit the hardware specs on the current WinPhones aren’t cutting edge, but this makes Microsoft sound even more silly or playing a cruel joke on new OS adoptees at best: “Hey, buy these Mango phones…they’re super fast and they’ve got the best OS integration…they can do this, this and this…plus arent’t they stylish? Oh, by the way…they won’t be able to run our newer OS coming out in a couple months and probably won’t run most of your current Silverlight apps because the handsets we told you were great are really puny. Psych!! But thanks for all the fish!”

    Sadly I think Chris’ comment about “acceptable losses” is too true.

    Dang it, I’m nettled enough to want to go out and buy an iPhone. 😉

  22. This is true, and objectively I suppose, maybe I ought not to be so annoyed. I did not get my phone with the notion that it is going to be upgraded, but that it was a great phone in terms of use and design. This has been one of the most stable devices I’ve used in a long time, so I will give props to Nokia/Microsoft for that. The phone will work for some time, the sky isn’t falling…but the timing is troubling for me. Geez, I could have waited a little while longer with my upgrade and gotten a WP8 phone, but now I’ll have to wait a long while before an upgrade option comes through. So, I’m happy with my phone, just not necessarily happy with the path coming down the line.

    On the plus side for WP8, better integration of the phone and desktop should entice bigger development groups to get on the bandwagon and start supporting both device types. I sure with I could get something like True Connect or EveryWan I used for WinMo 5/6 for Mango or Android (or iOS).

  23. Wow. This makes Android look good and Windows Phone look like an even bigger fail.

  24. 7% is ‘June 1st’, and also largely impacted by what some cite as a very large number of folks who have ROM’d their phones with ICS releases – especially for things like the SGSII that have releases internationally. In other words – ICS adoption is pathetic.

    Gingerbread was ALSO pathetic in terms of roll-out, but wasn’t touted as ‘magical’ like ICS, because it was very much a ‘point release’. But the adoption was so slow and abandonment so high that Google has been touting loads of BS around guaranteed updates and so on. And we already KNOW that is BS. So I stand by it – MS made an unpopular announcement, and possibly one detrimental to their OS future. But at least they were honest … unlike Google.

  25. Fragmentation of Android is a serious issue, so don’t downplay it. It is why Apple has 90% of app revenue despite ~40% smartphone share. It is why Google Music and Books and Movies and so on are all abysmal failures – no one trusts Google with money. Because Google doesn’t care about consumers … at all. Because we are not their customers. And intrinsically people know it – we will use their free stuff and deal with some of their crap, but ask for money and we give them nothing.

  26. Here is a question: as of now, would you recommend Windows Phone to anyone? I say no. I had been advising people to check out the Lumias, but now it is back to iOS and Android for my recommendations.

  27. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

    Most likely written with Siri. Please excuse any and all errors.

  28. I’ve been sitting here stewing (fuming!!) on the subject. But this was the question that moved me to action. Would I recommend Windows Phone to anyone? NO.

    Way to drop the ball and make everyone question you yet again, Microsoft. =P

  29. At this point, anything that makes Android look good *is* a fail, so yeah. You’re right. All it means is I’m still locked into iOS and hoping someone else will get their act together and create a better alternative. And at this point, Android is *not* it. For me, anyway.

  30. Thank you for showing no loyalty to customers but at least admitting it? That’s not something I can be grateful for, especially when other companies have learned how to actually make people feel good enough about them that people don’t mind spending their hard earned money on their products.

  31. Ugh, this was supposed to be a reply to Chris’ question of whether we should “”thank” MS for coming out and saying it rather than stringing us along with a false hope”.

    It’s hard to say thank you when you are being repeatedly shown how little you matter. Again, I’ll have to stick with iPhone, because they have a track record of providing at least a few *years* of upgrades to their more recent devices. It’s definitely a comforting thought when you are contemplating a purchase now or whether you should wait half a year for the next model.

  32. Of course my suggestion was laced with just a “little” sarcasm. I’ve been reading the nets and some folk are furious and other’s can’t figure out why it’s such problem. Arrgh! My game plan is to see what 7.8 brings, but come fall when we get to choose between the next iPhone and a new crop of Win Phone 8 devices I’m going to be hard pressed to not make a full reversion back to the iPhone. I still like the Lumia 900, but I’m finding it nearly impossible to forgive what MS has done and (despite what the MS apologists will tell you), MS has a long history of these kinds of mis-steps and speaking in vagaries so that you can’t hold them to blame when the spam hits the fan. Even now they were vague on their new tablet specs and pricing. People are happy, but they really have very few “real” details so why are they happy? The Win Phone 8 announcements are the same way – 7.8 will have the “look” of 8 and a few features, but they can’t name the features? I feel like I should have expected as much. They could still make things right, but I really doubt they will.

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