My city thinks WP is dead and don't support it

[xandros9]

And for those who claim everything can be done in browsers. You never really want to rely on everything to run off 1 app. Memory, cpu optimization, security, everything comes into play. Furthermore, all the people that are stuck on the old model of doing things are also old timers who have been using it this way for years. Young people, the future, they want apps. I prefer apps.

1. I use more than one browser.

2. Uhhhh, I'm a young person and while I like the idea of Universal Windows apps I just don't use them nor do I remember to use them. Web browser for everything. Office and advanced things for everything else.

 

[Krystianpants]

Did you just call me old?

We're going to have to settle this the Canadian way, I'll beat you up then we can go for some beers

Maple syrup chugging contest! I'm not young either. I do however like to adapt to new tech and get excited. The app model is exciting for me. I have twitter, reddit, facebook, readiy for news all running as separate apps. I get the notifications, I can reply inline. Everything is great. It helps me minimize the amount of tabs I have. I don't really close tabs like I should so they build up quite a lot and finding stuff becomes a mess haha. But at least these I can quickly load up and I get what I need.

And Xandros9, exactly what you said. You don't use them nor remember to use them. It's ingrained in our heads to use browsers. And that's really what I mean by old timers. People who have always run things that way. Younger people are used to apps because that's how they have always run things. They came during the app revolution.

So yah it's really about habits when I mention old timers. Just like when windows 8 came out and messed with our habits. The start button was frustrating. It took me ages to adapt and even then I still would get confused at times because it's so ingrained in my head. But now I have my start button efficiently setup with different groups. It's just so quick for me to launch what I need.

Though I must say having a scrollable smaller start button is much easier to navigate then a wide start with apps. It seems once it goes really wide it becomes confusing at times. But if it's a single row I'm good with it. I guess that's due to my use of windows mobile, who knows.

 

[speccy]

Even my daughter's primary school has a Windows phone app!!! There must be next to no cost porting the Android/IOS version as otherwise they wouldn't have it. Schools have no money these days (at least in the UK), so if it was going to cost them, they wouldn't have bothered, or maybe they know the value of being able to reach nearly 100% of the parents and considered the money to be well spent.

My point is, if a school can afford this, then money can't be the only factor here.

 

[Francisco_dAn]

Have you actually SEEN the web sites created by most municipalities? Either they have the same design as 1980's BBS's or they are a congested hodgepodge of every city service with no design aesthetics what so ever. City web apps would actually make their lives easier but unfortunately they sign on with app firms that have no experience with Windows Phone what so ever.

 

[vEEP pEEP]

Well the city responded back after I mentioned Windows 10 and universal apps.

Their response was, until the market share increased - there would be no app for WP.

You can't fight city hall....

Or get them to listen...

 

[RumoredNow]

Maybe we should start a site and feature articles such as "The Verge is Dead." :winktongue:

 

[anthonyng]

Maple syrup chugging contest! I'm not young either.

I'm in Gasp? region right now for work, maple syrup country!

Well I don't want apps for everything... Like my bank, I would like TD to release a better app, so I can do cheque deposits. Also to have features that are more popular for while mobile (ie: need to pay a bill, transfer money asap) which the current app is actually good enough for now. Except that I can't add new Payee's or etransfer people easily.

Twitter yes for app, well any kind of social thing needs an app just for notifications.

Airlines shouldn't need apps. Air canada mobile check in site is nice and emailed boarding passes very sufficient. I'm not sure about searching and buying tickets on your phone as it's far more beneficial to have lots of space for research. Then for hotwire, priceline really just needs a nice mobile app cause you might just pick the first best offer to you.

News provider apps..... mmm I prefer to aggregate my news in a news reader.... so one app, but I do miss the advantages and fine details and styles of each site. Actually I really like what they've done with the news1130.com website

I dunno...

I liked windows 8 , well I liked Vista too once I got a SSD and never shutdown (sleep). The search bar in start menu for like everything was revolutionary for me, I've always hated hunting the program folders in the start menu So that's why I didn't mind windows 8 I guess. Search in the charms bar now? ok... whatever. My start menu today is a mess.... but I care about it a lot more on my phone.

Um, thanks for reading?

 

[mms-pc]

I suppose I can't blame them.

I can't blame them, either, but I will respond this to them: Okay, are you going to buy me an Android/iOS device, so I could use your app service?

 

[mikewarner]

Perhaps you are correct on this assumption. As a WP users for an eternity I now have a Lumia 950 and because of a lack of certain apps I go to Edge and look up the url required and pin it to the start screen. All is well except that the tile is blue (my default colour) with the Edge icon on it. In 8.1 the tile would have had the content of the url page showing (can't remember if it updated as well) so you could identify the "app" but under W10 this doesn't work like this now. So, I don't use this "feature" because it doesn't look good to have multiple tiles all the same telling me nothing about what they do. Tell me I've got it wrong and there's a better solution, please.

 

[MoeJ]

I read such arguments often but for services like a local country/council - why does it make sense to have an app on desktop when their website is by far functional and feature rich for their customers on desktop?

If their website is "by far functional and feature rich," then why have spend the money on an Android or iOS app? Seems like a waste of taxpayers money to me.

 

[the-only-way-is-pluralism]

Doesn't your city have policies regarding accessibility, minorities and duopolies?

 

[Gregory Newman]

Windows 10 mobile,Windows10 smartphones are not dead for one thing Microsoft and some OEM partners are making them. There are enough Windows smart phones sold world wide for Microsoft continue to make them. Windows 10 mobile is being updated with bug fixes in a few months it will be ready for prime time. Windows 10 smart phones are the best smart phones to use with 180 Million plus 10 Windows 10 Computers being used today and more are coming. Microsoft will not get out of the mobile devices world because if it did it would loose out getting first class apps if it came back in the future. At least right now Universal apps are coming and making Windows 10 mobile smart phones useful

 

[paulxxwall]

Windows 10 mobile,Windows10 smartphones are not dead for one thing Microsoft and some OEM partners are making them. There are enough Windows smart phones sold world wide for Microsoft continue to make them. Windows 10 mobile is being updated with bug fixes in a few months it will be ready for prime time. Windows 10 smart phones are the best smart phones to use with 180 Million plus 10 Windows 10 Computers being used today and more are coming. Microsoft will not get out of the mobile devices world because if it did it would loose out getting first class apps if it came back in the future. At least right now Universal apps are coming and making Windows 10 mobile smart phones useful

)
Win mobile is only alive in here. Every where else for the most part it's dead or dying. I do like the new Lumias but that's not what drove me away. Lack of developer support drove me away.

 

[mariusmuntean]

Windows 10 mobile,Windows10 smartphones are not dead for one thing Microsoft and some OEM partners are making them. There are enough Windows smart phones sold world wide for Microsoft continue to make them. Windows 10 mobile is being updated with bug fixes in a few months it will be ready for prime time. Windows 10 smart phones are the best smart phones to use with 180 Million plus 10 Windows 10 Computers being used today and more are coming. Microsoft will not get out of the mobile devices world because if it did it would loose out getting first class apps if it came back in the future. At least right now Universal apps are coming and making Windows 10 mobile smart phones useful

At the state win10mobile is right now is far from the "best". Seems that the term: "Soon" should be trademarked by Microsoft ). I do not know about other countries, but in Romania, despite the fact that 'till now WP market share was pretty high, users started to think twice before going on with WP/WinMo mainly because everyone noticed the mediocre state of the OS in the publicly sold new Lumia devices.
I wish for MS to get their heads together and pull it off with Windows 10, but I have lost most of my confidence after seeing the horrible state of windows 10 mobile, it's simply not acceptable after a year to have such a terrible experience and to go in a store to buy a phone, a flagship, sold with this beta OS!
I have just searched like mad after a Lumia 1020 sealed BNIB, and found one. Despite I am not gonna use it as my daily driver, I am gonna keep it running WP8.1 to have a phone from the times I used to recommend this platform. If I could afford, I would buy another 1520, 920 and 930 all sealed brand new to have them in my home because it was a time when I have enjoyed that OS the most. Thanks MS for this joke of Windows 10 Mobile, made me realize how great WP8.1 still is.

 

[Krystianpants]

I'm in Gasp? region right now for work, maple syrup country!

Well I don't want apps for everything... Like my bank, I would like TD to release a better app, so I can do cheque deposits. Also to have features that are more popular for while mobile (ie: need to pay a bill, transfer money asap) which the current app is actually good enough for now. Except that I can't add new Payee's or etransfer people easily.

Twitter yes for app, well any kind of social thing needs an app just for notifications.

Airlines shouldn't need apps. Air canada mobile check in site is nice and emailed boarding passes very sufficient. I'm not sure about searching and buying tickets on your phone as it's far more beneficial to have lots of space for research. Then for hotwire, priceline really just needs a nice mobile app cause you might just pick the first best offer to you.

News provider apps..... mmm I prefer to aggregate my news in a news reader.... so one app, but I do miss the advantages and fine details and styles of each site. Actually I really like what they've done with the news1130.com website

I dunno...

I liked windows 8 , well I liked Vista too once I got a SSD and never shutdown (sleep). The search bar in start menu for like everything was revolutionary for me, I've always hated hunting the program folders in the start menu So that's why I didn't mind windows 8 I guess. Search in the charms bar now? ok... whatever. My start menu today is a mess.... but I care about it a lot more on my phone.

Um, thanks for reading?

Yah I also use an aggregator which is Readiy. But it is a windows store app. And I love it! Very customizable and great way to get through a lot of stuff which i subscribe too.

And yes some news apps are just plain better. But for those that require a subscription and people actually want to pay, the app makes more sense. And premium features could be added to the app for subscribers.

So there's a lot of monetary implications for developers and especially news sites which were free and primarily ran off ads. The app could still display ads while the web they can't guarantee you don't have an ad blocker. But apps usually don't have very intrusive ads and they don't slow down the experience like it may in browser. *cough edge*.

Heck sometimes I'll actually click through on ads just to support an app if it's really good. Same with games.

There's also the whole aspect of better UI that comes with apps. Each tab in your browser will have a completely different experience. But apps will follow design rules. Will work better for your screen and allow customizations and other things.

And yah RBC has an awesome app. I'm so glad they created it. It's way easier to navigate then their website. They definitely put some thought into it.

 

[ben55124]

Hopefully you don't live in Redmond, WA.

Seems like a mobile website would be better for most cities - not dealing with app stores, platform specifics, etc. The only benefit I can think of would be native notifications.

 

[anthonyng]

And yah RBC has an awesome app. I'm so glad they created it. It's way easier to navigate then their website. They definitely put some thought into it.

I gotta throw that into TD's face!

 

[rockstarzzz]

If their website is "by far functional and feature rich," then why have spend the money on an Android or iOS app? Seems like a waste of taxpayers money to me.

There are two things here. Android and iOS = 95% of smartphone users. They made apps to cater to smartphone users. So yes, they would make an app for smartphone if they have enough users. Windows Phone doesn't. So now the UWP argument goes "Oh but if you make a UWP, you will cater millions of desktop users too and one app on desktop, mobile, laptop, tablet, band, hololens, xbox!"

But they already are catering those millions on desktop via their website. They are catering 95% smartphone users via app. See the difference? UWP argument relies on the fact that "if they are attracted by a massive PC userbase, they will make an app for them so eventually UWP for phone too". They however, must first think it is worth making an app for desktop or not. In the case where you have excellent website, I don't see a point. But then Netflix proves me wrong.

 

[Bobvfr]

There are plenty of other universal apps that prove you wrong as well, I like having apps that run on my phone and PC's and one or two on my Xbox One, yes I could probably control my lights with a web page, but Huetro for Hue is an excellent app, runs on my phone and tablets and PC, I have several more I use across devices including Netflix, not saying "Programs" and web pages don't work, of course they can and do, but sometimes an app is the better way to go, and by having a lot of mates on PC's who can use them as well as us phone users, we all win.

 

[cracgor]

I can't blame them, either, but I will respond this to them: Okay, are you going to buy me an Android/iOS device, so I could use your app service?

Their response: "We apologize, but purchasing technology can be a bit complicated. We recommend researching the devices you purchase thoroughly first so that they can meet your demands."