MSFT is screwing (up) carriers and I LIKE THAT!

[a5cent]

Countries with zero or low Apple retail presence (India, for example) are also usually countries where the contract system is not present. Therefore, your argument is void.

My argument would be void, if your point were at all true. The Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria are just some of the countries with low Apple retail presence, yet in all those countries, most smartphones are sold on contract! In all those countries, iPhone users typically rely on their carrier to provide support, yet regardless, all of them receive their updates on the same day as everyone else. In Switzerland, Apple even owns roughly 50% of the smartphone market share, so that is nothing at all like India.

I work for a carrier and I'm telling you one more time... your theory explaining why Apple can release updates world wide, to all devices, on the same day, is wrong. It may sound plausible, but it's wrong.

 

[Jas00555]

I don't know if Microsoft is really screwing over the carriers (specifically AT&T) as the method to install GDR3 is rather obscure for the average consumer. Most consumers aren't tech savvy enough to know about a free developer program and will probably just wait until the official release. In that sense the carriers still win. However, this is an excellent opportunity for those of us with even a shred of knowledge about navigating the internet. We've been getting hamstrung by carriers (AT&T) since Windows Phone 7 first launched. Finally, three years later, we have a program where we can bypass the BS and immediately get the update. Hopefully this satisfies both consumers and carriers as they are no longer "burdened" with testing a beta. And in the future, I hope MS release all their updates through their free developer program. Carriers treat their customers like dirt and hold back updates like ransom. It's foolish and doesn't build the sort of customer loyalty that every company should be striving for. The rest of the world has already shown us that updates shouldn't take months. And in fact, if carriers allowed more frequent updates then those rare bugs that do occur wouldn't be such a big deal because manufacturers could quickly release an update. But alas, carriers (AT&T) would rather hamstring us then help us.

I agree. Microsoft definitely isn't screwing over the carrier, BUT based on the very low requirements (10 min and an internet connection) to actually download the updates, its clear that they want things to change.

No, I don't think AT&T was the thing that pushed them over the edge. That's silly. The US makes up very little of their phone market, plus there are other people that still don't have gdr 2.

I think the big thing that MS wants to change is being able to send out minor updates like this to fix problems (for example, tweaks to Xbox music) without carriers having to test out the entire OS.

 

[Jnbs]

I agree. Microsoft definitely isn't screwing over the carrier, BUT based on the very low requirements (10 min and an internet connection) to actually download the updates, its clear that they want things to change.

No, I don't think AT&T was the thing that pushed them over the edge. That's silly. The US makes up very little of their phone market, plus there are other people that still don't have gdr 2.

I think the big thing that MS wants to change is being able to send out minor updates like this to fix problems (for example, tweaks to Xbox music) without carriers having to test out the entire OS.

I sort of agree to a certain degree.. But the whole point is that MSFT is allowing customers to bypass the wait with a simple method.. I understand that the "average Joe" will not know about this, but also they will not complain on the forums.. Now the advantage is that ANYONE here on WPCentral who has a GDR2 device doesn't have an excuse. Complainers (not all of them) are long gone now!!

 

[SwimSwim]

just a scare tactic. Really it is that it is not fully tested and things might not work or break... Don't complain...

Mobile device hardware and software are very related and unlike PC hardware and software, not really user service friendly. Almost all problems with mobiles have to be felt with from the top whereas PC you can easily find software, drivers, etc.

Anyhow, just a scare tactic to keep most users who don't understand what a beta tester or software is and may or may not do.

And for good reason, so people who are denied repairs can't complain, and to scare off people who ought not be divulging in beta testing (I'm glad it's stable, but data loss is a constant concern when partaking in a beta test, no matter how open or stable [but the same could be said for official software, I suppose]).