[TJWINS]

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean shipping, iOS 6 Shipping, WP OS8 RTM'd. What's the hold up? Why have the features not been announced yet? There should be nothing to hide anymore. We are all excited members of this forum and we don't even know what we are excited about other than the fact we know WP8 will be awesome...we think. Microsoft needs to show us the power of the OS already. All we have seen so far is hardware. Consumer's are flooding to iPhone 5 and Microsoft isn't trying to do anything about it. Why do they plan on announcing the features of the OS only days before the phones launch? This isn't making any sense to me....

[Reflexx]

My guess is that MS is planning to show WP along with Windows 8 in one event to emphasize the level of integration available.

[SnailUK]

At some point, Microsoft are going to have to announce a launch date, prices, and availabilty for WP8 devices.

How dull will it be if that is all they announce?

Everyone moans Microsoft announce stuff early, they save something, and people moan it about it. There is litterally no winning for Microsoft.

[diaspar]

the hard truth is that WP8 is not going to be have the same level of wow effect as the 920 or 8x, so don't expect too much.

[VagrantWade]

Well for one, we are over a month away from the WP8 launch.

[brmiller1976]

Microsoft is probably betting they'll get more and longer coverage if they hold off on their announcement until after the iPhone Hype Cycle dies down.

It's a big gamble to take, especially considering that it's been three months since WP7.X was effectively neutered with the "no upgrades" announcement. Three months without current/modern hardware and OS is a long time, IMO.

[Agent-P]

My guess is that MS is planning to show WP along with Windows 8 in one event to emphasize the level of integration available.

This was my thought as well. What better way to show all the integration than by releasing all the pieces at once and showing how they fit together?

[Heron_Kusanagi]

Honestly, I hate the secrecy too.

Still, if they properly show off every small feature of the OS alongside W8 and Xbox, I will be sold.

Xbox Music on all 3 devices? That will be cool.

[AngryNil]

It's been RTMed, meaning it's not ready to ship on phones. Manufacturers still have to do their thing.

Sorry that Microsoft isn't Apple, where it only needs to RTM to itself, or Google, where it decides to choose a favourite so it RTMs when the first product ships. Ever wonder why Android devices launch with an old Android build, months after the unveiling of a new version?

Windows Phone has no devices that can launch today and as such, Microsoft is holding back OS features. If it didn't, everyone would be complaining about how WP8 is "vapourware" (I would have included "late", but plenty of sites have already spread that nonsense).

[pjs37]

I think MS is trying to Out-Apple Apple. They had such a success showing off the Surface when it was announced they probably carried that line of thinking over to all its lines. Unfortunately they didn't get the whole timing thing down IMO.

I half-way feel like they are stuck on this old release model that they have been using for Windows forever and it needs to be r-elooked at but the Windows division is so much a part of the company basically whatever the Windows group wants to do it gets to do.

[pjs37]

Honestly, I hate the secrecy too.

Still, if they properly show off every small feature of the OS alongside W8 and Xbox, I will be sold.

Xbox Music on all 3 devices? That will be cool.

I guess but that isn't really that much of a secret we already knew that was happening. I will be curious to see what MS does. I know I been talking my friends into waiting to see the WP8 devices instead of buying yet another iPhone, but its hard when you keep having to say "Well we still don't know yet"

[Heron_Kusanagi]

I guess but that isn't really that much of a secret we already knew that was happening. I will be curious to see what MS does. I know I been talking my friends into waiting to see the WP8 devices instead of buying yet another iPhone, but its hard when you keep having to say "Well we still don't know yet"

I agree. It's kind of tiring to keep saying that and keep even my own hopes up that MS wouldn't blow this.

[1jaxstate1]

I'm with ya. I hate all the tight lippedness [not a word I know]. They should throw us a bone every now and then.

[Big Supes]

Blackberry are watching. :D

[Heron_Kusanagi]

Blackberry are watching. :D

Sure they are. And overstepping it means a lawsuit coming through. Given the wins MS have been getting, I doubt even BB wants to do it that obviously.

I have another theory though. Sure, we know WP8 is RTM and an event will come soon. So, what if MS is going to steal the iPhone's thunder 2 weeks into sales, and do an Apple and say, 'now people, we have launch dates, all the features, all the solutions, and here's one more thing!'

I only hope MS isn't dragging out the welcome they have. Android as a leverage alone against the Apple juggernaut will not help and WP8 is that viable 3rd ecosystem. But in the wings, BB10 and Tizen are potential replacements. Weak still, but that was said of Android and Apple.

[TJWINS]

Don't sleep on BlackBerry just yet. They already have a 75 million subscriber base in place holding a BlackBerry and BB10 is gonna be one of the strongest OS's available. Plus they have a strong international presence. The only thing missing from BlackBerry is a weak App World. If they can get apps in App World then they will be the 4th Mobile OS. That being said I'm still switching to WP8 in November because of the ecosystem.

[cgk]

Don't sleep on BlackBerry just yet. They already have a 75 million subscriber base in place holding a BlackBerry and BB10 is gonna be one of the strongest OS's available. Plus they have a strong international presence. The only thing missing from BlackBerry is a weak App World. If they can get apps in App World then they will be the 4th Mobile OS. That being said I'm still switching to WP8 in November because of the ecosystem.

Even with all that RIM is now too small to compete against the big players - most of the volume over the last couple of years have been cheap curves sold at cost - they will likely burn through their two billion cashpile (which relative to the sector is tiny) next year and be broken up the following year,

(And I might still pick up a bb10 device).

[freestaterocker]

Surprised nobody touched on this one yet.... MS previewed a crapload of Mango's features several months before it was ready to roll out. The result: ICS bit all of their killer features and got to market first with them. They learned their lesson. This time around, the competition gets to play catch-up while WP actually moves some units for a change. I hope there's no more leaks until the week before phones are available. Which will also allow me to have more of a life outside tech blogs. :)

[Heron_Kusanagi]

Surprised nobody touched on this one yet.... MS previewed a crapload of Mango's features several months before it was ready to roll out. The result: ICS bit all of their killer features and got to market first with them. They learned their lesson. This time around, the competition gets to play catch-up while WP actually moves some units for a change. I hope there's no more leaks until the week before phones are available. Which will also allow me to have more of a life outside tech blogs. :)

Well, I have to say that MS did Mango like it was another Windows release cycle where they will talk about everything openly first but unlike the desktop OS world, they aren't the ones dictating the pace nor the ones 'winning'.

[GoodThings2Life]

I feel excited about all the secrecy... I check headlines every day hoping for some leak, some rumor, some announcement, some revelation. I want a pre-order button... NOW!

What makes it frustrating is keeping everybody else patient and not to rush into another purchase just because of instant gratification.

Patience is something we all seem to lack these days.

[1jaxstate1]

Their "secrecy" isn't helping them. People are buying into new contracts daily. Only people around these parts are waiting for WP8 devices. MS acts like they are in the lead, but really are last. They should show people what they will be getting. Show the feature set that may sway people to WP8 and maybe they'll wait for new devices.

[Agent-P]

I feel excited about all the secrecy... I check headlines every day hoping for some leak, some rumor, some announcement, some revelation. I want a pre-order button... NOW!

What makes it frustrating is keeping everybody else patient and not to rush into another purchase just because of instant gratification.

Patience is something we all seem to lack these days.

That's sort of a side effect of our modern world. We've gotten so used to having a nearly infinite supply of information always at our fingertips ready to be found immediately. That's why I like to take a day (usually Sunday) and intentionally limit my electronic use just so that I can retain some control over this need to have everything instantly. I agree with you about us all needing to learn to be patient again.

[1jaxstate1]

Well, as functional as WP7 notifications are, you shouldn't worry about information overload. It won't happen.

[Austinguy23]

Their "secrecy" isn't helping them. People are buying into new contracts daily. Only people around these parts are waiting for WP8 devices. MS acts like they are in the lead, but really are last. They should show people what they will be getting. Show the feature set that may sway people to WP8 and maybe they'll wait for new devices.

Agreed. All I've seen so far is resizable tiles. Really? That's it? Microsoft is taking on Apple and Google with "resizable tiles"?!

I desperately want a third choice when it comes to mobile OS and our best hope is WP, but I'm so dismayed to see Ballmer and crew bragging about "resizable tiles".

[12Danny123]

Agreed. All I've seen so far is resizable tiles. Really? That's it? Microsoft is taking on Apple and Google with "resizable tiles"?!

I desperately want a third choice when it comes to mobile OS and our best hope is WP, but I'm so dismayed to see Ballmer and crew bragging about "resizable tiles".

(roll eyes)We need to wait for the event. you cannot judge yet. But I do think there should be panorama scrolling Start Screen like the Pictures Hub :)