What if MS kept investing on the WM6.x?

[diego3336]

Well, I just realized that I've been using Windows phones for the past 10 years, starting with a MotoQ running the WM6.1, then I bought a LG E900 at WP7's launch, and then a L920 at WP8's launch and replaced it with a L930 when it was launched, and this is the phone I still use, and with the current 'climate' regarding the (lack of) future of the platform, some things came to my mind.

I still remember how painful limited the WP7 was at the launch, not doing things that even de cheapest feature phones of those days did, like custom ringtones, for example. The WM6.1 had its problems and bugs, for sure, but it was as complete in terms of resources and features as a phone could be in 2006/07, it wasn't the easiest thing to use, but neither the Symbian were. Despite how beautiful, fluid and "modern" the WP7 was compared to the WM6.x, I always felt that the WM6.x would have a better chance compared to Android than the WP7, and after I played with a HTC G1 a few weeks ago, now I am sure it would be better if MS kept doing mobile OS the way they did on WM6's days.

These first-gen Androids were way worse than the WinMo in pretty much everything. It was uglier, unresponsive, buggy, crashes and random reboots everytime and with less features, but we all know what made the Android what is today, despite being "free": it was how customizable it was, just the way the good ol' WinMo was, and OEMs like HTC, Samsung and Motorola were doing they questionable "skins" on the WinMo already, and basically just ported those skins to the Android when MS phased-out the WinMo and replaced it with the utter limited and "uncustomizable" WP7.

I know these custom WinMo and Android were awful, buggy et al, but I can't deny the fact that this 'system' worked for both the OEMs and the carriers, and later on Google were able to regain much of the control over the OS, just the way MS could have done. Most people said the Android v1.0 was an iOS clone, when in fact it was much more a WinMo clone than an iOS'.

The way I see the things now is quite ironic: MS abandoned its recipe to try the one Apple was doing with the iOS, and this move resulted in an epic failure for MS, and Google succeeded basically using the very same recipe that MS had abandoned...

Sorry for my poor English, it has been a long time without regularly talking to anglophones

 

[xandros9]

I believe that to continue with the path of old Windows Mobile would have been just as disastrous. WM6.5 was ill-equipped to adapt to the new touch-centric phones and the I don't think the CE core was expandable/powerful enough going forward. It would've been like if Palm continued trying to massively update and retrofit their ancient Palm OS 5 when the underpinnings just weren't up-to-snuff.

EDIT: Like trying to turn a Camry into a capable pickup truck. The traditional frame trucks usually have just isn't there, etc.

 

[PerfectReign]

Like trying to turn a Camry into a capable pickup truck. The traditional frame trucks usually have just isn't there, etc.

That happened, we had that horror of a minivan zombie called the Odyssey.


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[sd4f]

In hindsight, while WP7 brought along a nice UI and some interesting features, it's the reboot to WP8 that caused some serious problems, and more recently, the reboot to W10M has pretty much nailed the coffin shut.

WP7 was missing too many features, even WP8 had problems that were mostly fixed by WP8.1. What they could have or should have done, it's all academic now.

My perception is that they would have been much better off just building on WP7, there was a lot of good will from developers for it and when MS changed their mind, that same enthusiasm wasn't there, even though there were more users.

WP8 was carried by much better hardware, and in many respects, it was a lot better than the competition, but they eventually caught up and we still didn't have a comprehensive app store.

 

[fatclue_98]

I believe that to continue with the path of old Windows Mobile would have been just as disastrous. WM6.5 was ill-equipped to adapt to the new touch-centric phones and the I don't think the CE core was expandable/powerful enough going forward. It would've been like if Palm continued trying to massively update and retrofit their ancient Palm OS 5 when the underpinnings just weren't up-to-snuff.

EDIT: Like trying to turn a Camry into a capable pickup truck. The traditional frame trucks usually have just isn't there, etc.

The Honda Ridgeline is an Accord and does very well as a small pickup. If Toyota didn't already have a body-on-frame pickup they would've done the same.

As for WM6.5 not being up to snuff with touch-centric devices, I present the HD2. Arguably the most versatile handset ever. To date, it's the only capacitive display phone ever released on WinMo and it was an absolute joy to use. HTC Sense came of age on this beast and Samsung's TouchWiz was born on WinMo with the non-US i8000 Omnia 2.

I can't fathom why WP7 was so hamstrung, it was CE-based for jeebus' sake.

 

[eshropshire]

I find it really crazy to see anyone standing up for WM 6.5. I put up with an expensive 6.5 device 10 years ago. I know WM has made major strides but my two years with WM 6.5 kept me away from ever considering WM.

 

[xandros9]

The Honda Ridgeline is an Accord and does very well as a small pickup. If Toyota didn't already have a body-on-frame pickup they would've done the same.

As for WM6.5 not being up to snuff with touch-centric devices, I present the HD2. Arguably the most versatile handset ever. To date, it's the only capacitive display phone ever released on WinMo and it was an absolute joy to use. HTC Sense came of age on this beast and Samsung's TouchWiz was born on WinMo with the non-US i8000 Omnia 2.

I can't fathom why WP7 was so hamstrung, it was CE-based for jeebus' sake.

Absolutely, I was thinking more of a drastic, heavier-duty comparison, but absolutely the Ridgeline, XJ, etc. do very well.

I had an HD2 for a short while and it was nice. It was that beneath those fancy homescreens and manufacturer-made apps, other applications weren't so nice IIRC.

 

[diego3336]

As for WM6.5 not being up to snuff with touch-centric devices, I present the HD2. Arguably the most versatile handset ever. To date, it's the only capacitive display phone ever released on WinMo and it was an absolute joy to use. HTC Sense came of age on this beast and Samsung's TouchWiz was born on WinMo with the non-US i8000 Omnia 2.

That's the point I was trying to make. The first versions of Android were awful to use, the touch-screen 'performance' on the HTC G1 was as sluggish as the first Omnia running WinMo, both were like touchscreens on ATM. The HD2 was much more capable than anything running Android at that time, and just to remember, the Android just started to gain traction after the "Droid does" campaign, and almost, if not all of the Android features advertised on this campaing, were available on WinMo for a long time, and the Motorola Droid/Milestone was no better than the HD2 either.

 

[fatclue_98]

I find it really crazy to see anyone standing up for WM 6.5. I put up with an expensive 6.5 device 10 years ago. I know WM has made major strides but my two years with WM 6.5 kept me away from ever considering WM.

There were only 2 handsets EVER that had 1gig CPUs on WM6.5 and they ran very well. The existing hardware was not anywhere near enough for the OS. Think about it, the Touch Pro 2 had a paltry 288MB of RAM. The HD2 had 512 and ran just fine. Though not a cap screen, the obscure LG Fathom was the other phone that had a Hummingbird CPU and it was also a very good experience with WM, in spite of LG's heavy skin.

 

[diego3336]

I find it really crazy to see anyone standing up for WM 6.5. I put up with an expensive 6.5 device 10 years ago. I know WM has made major strides but my two years with WM 6.5 kept me away from ever considering WM.

I'm not standing up just for the WM6.5 per se, but for the concept behind it. I know it's easy to say this now, but the market (read the OEMs and carriers) was wanting a customizable, feature-rich and more open (not in the 'open-source' way of open) alternative to the iOS, and MS had this alternative and their choice was to ditch it and offer an OS even more limited and closed than the iOS, and Google succeeded offering an OS with the same basic concept of the WinMo.

I also know it's easy to say the WM6.5 was garbage back then compared to what we have on the market now, but compared to the Android devices of 2008~2010, they weren't all that bad. I would take a HTC HD2 or even the first Omnia over any HTC G1 or Moto Droid easily.

 

[fatclue_98]

I'm not standing up just for the WM6.5 per se, but for the concept behind it. I know it's easy to say this now, but the market (read the OEMs and carriers) was wanting a customizable, feature-rich and more open (not in the 'open-source' way of open) alternative to the iOS, and MS had this alternative and their choice was to ditch it and offer an OS even more limited and closed than the iOS, and Google succeeded offering an OS with the same basic concept of the WinMo.

I also know it's easy to say the WM6.5 was garbage back then compared to what we have on the market now, but compared to the Android devices of 2008~2010, they weren't all that bad. I would take a HTC HD2 or even the first Omnia over any HTC G1 or Moto Droid easily.

It's easy to trash WinMo now but it seems people have selective amnesia when it comes to iOS. Many excellent Windows phones have been eviscerated for being carrier exclusives. Hello? The iPhone was an AT&T exclusive until the Verizon iPhone 4. Some also forget the first iPhone was 2G when there were many 3G WinMo offerings. Also lost to history is the fact the iPhone didn't even have MMS or copy & paste.

Android wasn't perfect from the get go either. If my own failing memory serves, pinch-to-zoom wasn't available on the G1.

Yes, Microsoft shanked the punt on first and goal when they decided to make WP7 even more restrictive than iOS when they should've made WinMo better. Functionally, it already was better than iOS or Android at the time. Way better. It just wasn't cool but WinMo with live tiles, the hubs and the dark theme would've succeeded where WP7 failed. That's my take anyway.