Microsoft abandoning tmobile? Just a thought

[ven07]

The Lumia 810, HTC M8 and Lumia 640 should tell anyone what they need to know about Tmo, support and updates. For anyone clued up its really a false economy to buy a carrier branded phone, eventually just leads to problems.

That's why the move away from contract phones is a good thing

 

[anon(6078578)]

The Lumia 810, HTC M8 and Lumia 640 should tell anyone what they need to know about Tmo, support and updates. For anyone clued up its really a false economy to buy a carrier branded phone, eventually just leads to problems.

As long as Microsoft sell it unlocked, unfortunately the Lumia 640 is only available branded. I am of course on about the US version.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I'm concerned they'll EOL it like they did the M8 after 4 months .... I don't know. :-/

Well I'd be more worried about HTC in general than T-Mobile when it comes to HTC Windows Phones, personally.

Only WP fans face this problem. iOS, Android, and even BlackBerry are supported universally.

I can see why someone would choose a carrier based on their phone lineup if the carriers have good service where they live, but it sounds like you have only one good option. What good is the phone you want if it doesn't work well? As long as you can buy an unlocked WP, you're good with T-Mobile even if they don't officially support WP.

Sent from whatever device I happen to be using today using Tapatalk

Pretty sure blackberry is not universally accepted by the carriers as one might think Let's not forget that whole controversy with Tmobile vs Blackberry awhile back and they recently started selling blackberry products.

I am not sure if their support is better or worse than Windows Phone with the carriers but it does appear that even with carrier support, it definitely doesn't help them sell anything of actual use to be relevant.

It is not that I am really stuck with T-Mobile because I am not....

I want to support T-Mobile on the fact I enjoy what they are doing with their company and the industry as a whole. I like supporting good companies.

Problem is, when I am at my place in North Carolina....coverage is non-existent as well as a few places in my main place in California. So I am basically best friends with Wifi calling.

That being said I really want to use my Lumia 640 XL over this 640 but alas it doesn't have wifi calling so the phone is effectively useless to me, at the moment since I cant use it on Tmobile without wifi calling....

 

[Laura Knotek]

I've always chosen a carrier first, then a phone. If I cannot get coverage, then I won't use that carrier, no matter what cool phone it happens to sell.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I noticed that my two ventures into Windows phone, were both followed by significant events. After I bought the Lumia 521, Microsoft decided to buy Nokia which didn't seem to improve things. This time I bought the Lumia 640, thinking that they finally got it right and Microsoft then gets rid of Nokia!



Maybe I should stop buying Windows Phones and ruining for the rest of you? LOL

No keep buying them Those 2 things I am happy with....maybe if you buy your 3rd, I can hope Microsoft will stop relying on crap OEMs who don't push their products to help the platform and say F U to then and release a badass device without worrying about stepping on toes.

(I sometimes wonder if that is why Microsoft is doing the way they do...so their OEMs don't whine and if tha tis the case, can we truly blame Microsoft for half the stuff they do?)

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I made a thread in the m8 windows section because I was curious if they still get updates on the phone since it is mo longer solder by tmobile(and despite the fact it's an HTC) because this worried me now. I want to know my 640 will get updated despite it not being carried and if I stay with tmobile I want to know my flagship will.

I am really cconsidering going back home to att go phone. The same phone plan with tmobile at $50 is $5 less with att and for $5 more I can get rollover and more data. Not to mention I miss my 640 XL as my main device tbh as the 640 is so small to me.

My main reason for switching to tmobile as because I liked the company stance on the industry and also because where I live att coverage sucked without microcell which forced me to keep a contract where I can at least always use tmobile as far as wifi calling.

But I am also one to choose which carrier best supports my preferred smartphone Os

Don't jump from one frying pan into another. Buying a phone from any carrier is not a good idea. In the sane parts of the world, people buy their phones from stores that sell phones and other items and buy their bandwidth from carriers. The US understands the concept. I mean we don't buy our cars from gas stations. Not sure why our collective heads are so thick regarding phones. As for your specific issue, AT&T has a different SKU for one GoPhone and a different SKU for an identical phone that isn't a GoPhone. No way for a owner who bought used to even tell which one they have. But guess what? AT&T updates one of the SKUs and not the other. Don't go looking for a master with a softer whip. Break the cycle.

 

[ven07]

Not sure why our collective heads are so thick regarding phones

I think it has to do with pricing? while im all for buying phones off contract, it can be a bit daunting. iPhones for example would cost you roughly $600 or more off contract, but with a contract you get to pay it off in smaller installments. In most cases this ends being a bit more costly than if you buy the phone outright, but people tend to ignore that.. (that's my view anyways)

 

[anon(6078578)]

No keep buying them Those 2 things I am happy with....maybe if you buy your 3rd, I can hope Microsoft will stop relying on crap OEMs who don't push their products to help the platform and say F U to then and release a badass device without worrying about stepping on toes.

(I sometimes wonder if that is why Microsoft is doing the way they do...so their OEMs don't whine and if tha tis the case, can we truly blame Microsoft for half the stuff they do?)

At this point I'm going to keep my Lumia 640 for a while to see how the Windows Phone story plays out. I want to see if universal apps really do make a difference or not. In my opinion, I can't see it making a difference with apps that only make sense on a mobile and not a desktop device in the first place ie the infamous Starbucks app just to use a simple example. I want to see if the new leadership at Microsoft really is a game changer or they'll end up reverting to their old ways once the honeymoon period is over.

I'm not a flagship buyer so won't be buying the upcoming 950/950XL (or whatever they're finally going to be called) so will be sticking with the Lumia 640 for a while to see if Microsoft are serious about keeping a mobile presence. I don't mean just flagships but whether they really will bring out further quality mid to low end models like the 640. I don't mind being part of a niche market but it's not worth my while to invest a lot of money in a high end device which personally won't give me any more benefit than a low/mid tier device.

 

[anon(6078578)]

I think it has to do with pricing? while im all for buying phones off contract, it can be a bit daunting. iPhones for example would cost you roughly $600 or more off contract, but with a contract you get to pay it off in smaller installments. In most cases this ends being a bit more costly than if you buy the phone outright, but people tend to ignore that.. (that's my view anyways)

It didn't help that tech websites would often compare contract phone prices with unlocked phone prices in such a way as it seemed like they were saying "why buy this mid range phone for $200 when you can get this high end phone for $199", when the $200 phone was full price and the $199 phone was a contract phone that really cost $700. Therefore the $200 was the one that was really the bargain for what you got, even though it seemed like you were only paying $199 for the much better phone.

 

[ven07]

It didn't help that tech websites would often compare contract phone prices with unlocked phone prices in such a way as it seemed like they were saying "why buy this mid range phone for $200 when you can get this high end phone for $199", when the $200 phone was full price and the $199 phone was a contract phone that really cost $700. Therefore the $200 was the one that was really the bargain for what you got, even though it seemed like you were only paying $199 for the much better phone.

Some might even say this was done on purpose

 

[anon(6078578)]

Some might even say this was done on purpose

I don't know if it was done on purpose but I'm sure I noticed many a time they didn't mention that it was actually a contract price. Of course it may simply be a side effect of the fact that until recent years, all prices were assumed to be contract prices.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Some might even say this was done on purpose

It was. Those sites want to garner favor or income from carriers. And WC is in that boat. I have lost count of the headlines or article contents that imply the carrier is your only option for this or that phone.

 

[TK2011]

Stop trying to read too much out of what those clueless customer service representatives say or don't say. They just read off what's on screen and those things are often just little more than standard canned response to a given situation such as out-of-stock.

Another possibility to consider is that Microsoft is simply running short of L640 stock temporarily due to higher-than-expected consumer demand or lower-than-expected supply from part suppliers. We just don't know.

 

[ramtwins25]

Could also be that TMobile just rekindled its relationship with Blackberry so expect stores and online shops to push Blackberry devices as a third option for their customers vs WP. That's more on the carrier than Microsoft.

 

[anon(6078578)]

Stop trying to read too much out of what those clueless customer service representatives say or don't say. They just read off what's on screen and those things are often just little more than standard canned response to a given situation such as out-of-stock.

Another possibility to consider is that Microsoft is simply running short of L640 stock temporarily due to higher-than-expected consumer demand or lower-than-expected supply from part suppliers. We just don't know.

I like your optimism but we've seen this scenario play out before with windows phone. I will be very surprised to see it back online. The best outcome for those still wishing to purchase a T-Mobile variant is that Walmart continues to stock it, but since they said Microsoft will not be giving them anymore inventory, it makes me wonder for how long.

 

[ven07]

It was. Those sites want to garner favor or income from carriers. And WC is in that boat. I have lost count of the headlines or article contents that imply the carrier is your only option for this or that phone.

I know... but nowadays it's nice to see people actually thinking before, believing and spending their money.. Not a lot of us do it, but we're getting there heheh

 

[TK2011]

I like your optimism but we've seen this scenario play out before with windows phone. I will be very surprised to see it back online. The best outcome for those still wishing to purchase a T-Mobile variant is that Walmart continues to stock it, but since they said Microsoft will not be giving them anymore inventory, it makes me wonder for how long.

I've been around here long time and over the years saw a number of news like this (based off some random customer support chat usually) only to find that people have overreacted or simply misinterpreted the information given. Now let's look at what happened here. Initial headline news was "Hey, TMO is abandoning L640!!! They say it's demand and supply issue so it must not be selling well!!! World is collapsing on us!!!" Now that TMO clarified that it's just them running out of stock and not having a firm date for resupply from MS, this dude goes "Hey MS is abandoning TMO!!!"

*smh*

 

[anon(6078578)]

I've been around here long time and over the years saw a number of news like this (based off some random customer support chat usually) only to find that people have overreacted or simply misinterpreted the information given. Now let's look at what happened here. Initial headline news was "Hey, TMO is abandoning L640!!! They say it's demand and supply issue so it must not be selling well!!! World is collapsing on us!!!" Now that TMO clarified that it's just them running out of stock and not having a firm date for resupply from MS, this dude goes "Hey MS is abandoning TMO!!!"

*smh*

I hope you're right. I guess we'll see. This is T-Mobile after all

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Stop trying to read too much out of what those clueless customer service representatives say or don't say. They just read off what's on screen and those things are often just little more than standard canned response to a given situation such as out-of-stock.

Another possibility to consider is that Microsoft is simply running short of L640 stock temporarily due to higher-than-expected consumer demand or lower-than-expected supply from part suppliers. We just don't know.

That's the cool thing about this. Its called speculation. Nothing wrong with that. Lmao

 

[sleeve22]

I would only get a T-Mo branded phone if there was a CV ROM available for that model just in case they decided again to stop supporting the phone. I did get a 640 as a backup and I immediately flashed the LTA CV because I have no need for Wi-Fi calling, and just to be future proof so to speak.