should wp7 have faster bug fix updates...like iOS/android?

[simbadogg]

i posted a little question over at the microsoft answers forum. should wp7 be getting faster bug fix updates, and is it possible. reason i was asking this is so many of us are affected right now by the keyboard lag and disappearing keyboard bugs that came with wp7.5 (and other issues like the SMS reset bug that was recently discussed on the web). but particularly w/ the keyboard lag and disappearing update, you would think that msft would be on it, and releasing an update without making users wait for the next major update which will be tango in early 2012.

to be honest, i haven't even heard a response from MSFT regarding the two issues (transparency, another problem with the wp7 team) regarding some of these issues, but if their response is that we should just sit tight until we get tango - and if it rolls out at the same pace and time as the last update, that won't be until feb/march for some people - then some people will have had to deal with this issue for 4 and 5 months. is that really acceptable?

i just added another reply on the other thread, showing how the droid razr recently got a stability/bug/performance update pushed out to it, and it came 42 days after the device launch. i'm pretty up to date w/ all things wp7, but to my knowledge not a single gen 1 or gen 2 device has ever got a firmware/software bug fix close to the launch window.

if msft plans to ramp up marketing for wp7 and eventually get more devices in peoples hands, does anyone think it's really a viable option to make users wait 4 and 5 months for device launch bug fixes?

here's my original topic, with replies from MSFT MVPs
Faster bug fix updates...is it possible? - Microsoft Answers

 

[Rallicat]

I've had my Lumia 800 for a month now, and I'm loving it.

I agree though, that Microsoft should be doing more. In a world dominated by iPhone and Android, creating a product that is innovative, but not revolutionary means Microsoft will have to go out of their way to really shout about the phone, but if starting that sort of momentum is hard, keeping it going is even harder if you don't keep the innovation going.

In order to ensure that Windows Phone gets noticed and KEEPS getting noticed, it needs a regular supply of new features and improvements for users to talk about, evangelise about, and to just generally keep at least /some/ excitement going wth the product.

Leaving users without updates... and worse still, leaving them with unfixed bugs is a very, very bad idea. They've got a good product right now .. but frankly it's merely 'good enough' In sixth months time you can bet that if Apple aren't talking about iOS 6, the rumour-sites certainly will be. What will Microsoft have to talk about?

Tango is a planned set of fixes and updates. Apollo is a distant rumour that Microsoft are reluctant to talk about. What Windows Phone needs is not a top-down reorganisation of the team, or a management overhaul, or a strategy re-evaluation. It needs to be pushed forward with development and design. Fix bugs, release new features, keep making it better, faster, more exciting ... keep it moving!

 

[jfa1]

Tamgo is coming sometime in February and is more than a bug fix it is supposed to b adding LTE and support for different types of devices and formasts and Apollo far from being a distant rumor is scheduled for June 2012 both not that far off. Apollo is supposed to bring NFC and dual core and different screen resolutions. It should also be the start of Windows *.

 

[HeyCori]

should wp7 be getting faster bug fix updates

Yes.

 

[lumic]

Yep.

 

[jimski]

Totally agree with the OP. Features can wait for planned rollouts, with all the fanfare that precedes them. But bug fixes are a different issue and should be dealt with asap. What happened to OTA updates that I thought Microsoft had the capability of doing for minor tweaks that didn't require a backup, etc. But even if it involved a Zune connection, and not everyone gets the incremental bug fix memo, roll them all into the next scheduled update and all is good.

Btw, my kb disappeared twice while typing this post. Arggggg.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

I agree. The way Microsoft hyped up Windows Phone to be easily updated (although they did handle Mango quite well, imo, compared to iOS and Android) and that bug fixes would be no problem. I did receive an update for my Radar, although idk what it did for it (same bugs here).

I think one of the problems is that they allowed for different hardware and tried to take the middle approach between iOS and Android. As a result, they probably have to test for various hardware and software (the problems Microsoft DID HAVE with pushing out Mango was because of different hardware versions).

 

[simbadogg]

i could care less about the update schedule for wp7, the bi-yearly update schedule that they've been doing is great for me, because it seems like you almost have a new phone every 6 months. But if MSFT chose to consolidate all those updates into an annual update more along the lines of iOS and more recently android, that'd be okay with me too.

what i just dont like is that the fact that it seems like bug fix updates are going to be delayed until those major version updates. again, i had some MSFT MVP on their answers forum trying to defend the bug fix timelines, and i didn't quite understand it. I brought up the great example of the bug that came in the original wp7 from last year, where if you went into the marketplace or zune hub...it would wait for a second, then spit you back out, and the only way to fix that was to restart the device.

That doesn't seem like the biggest bug in the world, but it was more than annoying. and the simple fact of the matter was, i bought my original samsung focus on device launch nov 8th 2010, and i was able to force update my device to nodo on march 31st of this year. that is almost 5 full months of waiting for bug fixes. and for any of the people from international markets, or waiting for the scheduling to run it's course, i wouldn't doubt that there were people that had to wait 6, and even 7 months to get their first bugs fixed. How is that at all defensible?

That's one of the reasons why i sometimes cannot stand blind evangelists. They're the same people that said that MMS wasn't a big deal on the original iphone. And the same people that said the completely abandonment of devices by some android OEMs isn't bad either (like the galaxy s - which as of September of this year was the top of the line samsung phone you could get in the US running android - which won't be getting ice cream sandwich)

 

[scottcraft]

I find the disappearing keyboard very frustrating, but everytime I read an android forum about the numerous bugs on newly released phones I feel much better.

Sent from my Windows 7 Phone using Board Express

 

[klocker2]

yea that disappearing keyboard should have been fixed by now... or soon

 

[dragonide]

Answer : Yes

Better Answer : Yes, without getting as many bugs as Android

 

[HerronScott]

Yes from someone who's got the bug with the first letter no longer capitalizing when switching to landscape mode with slider keyboard.

Scott

 

[InfectedPhreak]

I think patching should be done as an entirety. I think instead of releasing hot fix after hot fix, just clump together a lot of issues into one major patch/update. Maybe the keyboard fix is part of Tango or Apollo... Never know.

 

[KingCrimson]

I agree with Microsoft's planned update schedule instead of weekly hot-fixes. This is about establishing predictability to the user base, a very valuable thing in this industry.

 

[Vmac39]

Update, update, update!

When it comes to issues that affect user experience, such as the disappearing keyboard, they should be dealt with in a timely manner. Since updates like that probably aren't that big in file size, should be pushed OTA, to insure users can enjoy the benefit without having to wait to get back to the office or home to do it. Now, if it's a matter of other issues MS discovers or want to tweak, those types of updates can be pushed out on a planned update schedule that people will not have a problem waiting for because it doesn't play in their everyday use and enjoyment of the device.

 

[martin_strahilovski]

Well first of all there aren't many bugs on Windows Phone and the couple of them that are present are being updated! (except sms bug that still is being processed by MS)

Full Changelog For 8107 Update Released By Microsoft | WMPoweruser

 

[Winterfang]

Yes of course.

 

[Premium1]

They should issue bug fixes without waiting for a large update. Bugs are pretty important to get rid of asap if you want people to stick with your product and not wait months for bugs to be fixed.

 

[mprice86]

It would be nice if bug fixes were a little faster, but that said I've only encountered the keyboard bug once in 2 months of pretty heavy use.

The .8107 update is has been rolled out to carriers/manufacturers now, and if you want it early there's a thread on xda about how to do it yourself. Source. I've done the manual update myself and it worked just fine.

 

[Kdawg1989]

I think widespread issues that directly impact usability such as the disappearing keyboard should be dealt as quickly as possible but small little os tweaks should be held off until there is a bigger release...

Sent from my PI39100 using Board Express