Is Microsoft getting complacent or just lazy?

[vish2801]

MS is probably busy porting Windows RT to the phone. They don't want to invest any more in WP8 since it will be a dead end. This is why GDR2 and GDR3 are so lame.
Hopefully WP Blue will be the new RT version, otherwise we'll have to wait until WP9 to get any significant updates.

I would throw my Nexus 4 out, if this becomes true. I would get my all need

File Manager, Good Video-Audio players, News App., Better customization, email attachment problem would be solved, even you can share any files via Bluetooth, Mail, etc., app like whatsapp can access my audio-video library,etc etc etc....

I can breath air of freedom.....

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[OzRob]

What people seem to forget is that this competition is a race where Android and iOS seem to be miles ahead of WP. Who would place bets on the 3rd one in a race if he doesn't run noticably faster than the leading pair? Having live tiles is cool and I love them, but unfortunately they are no dealbreakers.

Yeah. MS need to run faster just to catch up. All this talk about how often Google or Apple release major/minor updates to their respective phone OSs is moot. There are lots of things I could do with an iPhone or Android device years ago that I still can't with a Windows Phone. And for Android, what the OS lacks can usually be filled with an app, because the API is so open, which isn't the case with WP.

Android and iPhone have huge customer bases and lots of momentum, so Google and Apple can afford to set their own pace to some extent. Microsoft can't. It needs to be aggressive and active in the phone space to grab both market and mind share. Otherwise it will simply languish in number three spot with a niche following. And there's no long term future in that (Palm, Blackberry, I'm looking at you!).

 

[iloveamystery]

yeah, It's 36 months support now kiddo

Let's make a point to return to this topic once that point comes to see what those extra 18 months bought us, all right?

 

[tgp]

ICS to JB was 4.0 to 4.1. Not a major revision. Anything thats a X.Y.A to X.Y.B is hardly worth mentioning, and more a consequence of a less rigid update structure in Android (like implementing BT4.0 support a month after the rest of GDR2 would be for WP8.)

That's not totally accurate. The change from Gingerbread (2.3) to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) introduced a new UI, not counting Honeycomb (3.0) which was tablet only. Jelly Bean (4.1) brought Project Butter, which was to address the lag issue. ICS to JB did not change the UI much, but it was a big update none-the-less. I have no clue why they went from 4.0 to 4.1 instead of 5.0, but that doesn't minimize the update. They did change the OS version name which indicates it was new.

i think MS is spending so much time re-considering the value of Windows Phone rather that dedicating a full tilt into the division.

You know, I've wondered myself how dedicated Microsoft is to WP. So far it seems to be a big money pit. Did Microsoft jump in because they felt that's the way the market is going? Desktop & Office is their bread and butter. Can they survive down the road sticking with that? At this point WP doesn't have any real advantages over iOS & Android other than Skydrive & Office integration. Maybe Microsoft would be better off just dropping WP completely and develop apps for iOS & Android that would allow full integration with Skydrive & Office similar to how WP does.

 

[chezm]

You know, I've wondered myself how dedicated Microsoft is to WP. So far it seems to be a big money pit. Did Microsoft jump in because they felt that's the way the market is going? Desktop & Office is their bread and butter. Can they survive down the road sticking with that? At this point WP doesn't have any real advantages over iOS & Android other than Skydrive & Office integration. Maybe Microsoft would be better off just dropping WP completely and develop apps for iOS & Android that would allow full integration with Skydrive & Office similar to how WP does.

Sadly im starting to think ttry may be looking at it from that prospective as well. Sadly because I actually do love WP and think its unique enough to stand out from the crowd...being Droid and ios. Sure on paper it may not offer a huge difference but visually its captivating and simplistic...well I think so. Ah well, we already have a WP so we aren't a target audience...its the new blood they want and just how much of it they get will depend on multiple factors...so im concerned how much of that weight is really on adding features which the existing audience is begging for.

 

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

Microsoft is not fully all in with WP. Remember their original plan was the Kin, and that was a total failure. So much a failure that Verizon almost didn't want to sell their WP7 phones at first. Their main money maker is Windows 8 selling licenses, and Xbox. They're a software company and their in uncharted territory. If we look back in history, while Windows mobile had a decent amount of followers, it never really took off. History is repeating itself here, especially when you come late to the party. Apple in 2007, Google in 2008 and then Windows in 2010. Three years later is no way to gain ground at all.

 

[tgzgeorge]

A little of both, now that they have 3rd place.

 

[vish2801]

That's not totally accurate. The change from Gingerbread (2.3) to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) introduced a new UI, not counting Honeycomb (3.0) which was tablet only. Jelly Bean (4.1) brought Project Butter, which was to address the lag issue. ICS to JB did not change the UI much, but it was a big update none-the-less. I have no clue why they went from 4.0 to 4.1 instead of 5.0, but that doesn't minimize the update. They did change the OS version name which indicates it was new.



You know, I've wondered myself how dedicated Microsoft is to WP. So far it seems to be a big money pit. Did Microsoft jump in because they felt that's the way the market is going? Desktop & Office is their bread and butter. Can they survive down the road sticking with that? At this point WP doesn't have any real advantages over iOS & Android other than Skydrive & Office integration. Maybe Microsoft would be better off just dropping WP completely and develop apps for iOS & Android that would allow full integration with Skydrive & Office similar to how WP does.

I don't think MS should scrap WP, MS has royalty money from Android so it can afford WP,too. MS can integrate WP with Windows 8 and make vastly superior ecosystem than iOS and Android can offer by integrating with their pc counter part. MS can make WP as de facto standard in enterprise and can also give good experience in consumer market by giving some freedom and with the help of Nokia's awesome hardware.
Sadly, something's wrong in Redmond that WP is just like on ventilator support right now. MS needs to rethink about its priorities. Such delays aren't justified.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[FinancialP]

I want to thank you all for carrying on a intelligent conversation without name calling and without trashing the other OSs.

Nice read, and good points coming from both sides.

I've been using Microsoft phones for over 10 years, and absolutely nothing surprises me from them.

 

[haikallp]

What do you guys think about the 'Windows Phone Suggestion Box' that Microsoft have. I see many suggestions and user votes but many are yet to be addressed.

 

[envio]

What do you guys think about the 'Windows Phone Suggestion Box' that Microsoft have. I see many suggestions and user votes but many are yet to be addressed.

Before UserVoice, people used the Microsoft Answers forum to vent their frustrations and offer views on how to improve things. This became overwhelmed with repeat suggestions and rants etc plus of course, legitimate questions and queries for help were often overlooked or lost in the fog of complaints.

So when they launched Feature Suggestions, I was again, genuinely excited that finally Microsoft were not only going to take the time to listen but they would effectively be held accountable for the issues to be resolved and suggestions to be turned into real improvements and new features. And since it works by vote, you build up an expectancy that things are going to happen soon.

When Mango (WP7.5) was released, I thought things were getting better, if very slowly. But some of the quick wins I thought Microsoft would deliver on were skipped. When WP8 was released, most of the requests with the big votes still weren't touched, stuff which had been hanging around since WP7, I was truly shocked in some ways. Why would Microsoft take all that time to deliver Kids Corner and NFC sharing, something that nobody had ever cried about on the UserVoice website and yet, glaringly basic features and fixes continue to go unaddressed?

I think the site has effectively become just a talking shop where the baying mob can be quelled and put in a corner. Every 12 months or so we'll be thrown a bone to keep the anticipation and excitement high. It's gone beyond shame because the super slow development cycle only allows for one major update per year and a couple of minor tweaks in between which include nothing of interest. Things need to change in big ways to improve this situation.

 

[quantum tao]

Microsoft hasn't changed in 20 years, now all of a sudden, just because you bought a wp7 or 8, you think Microsoft is not moving fast enough?

 

[Robert Grant]

They put it there, but unfortunately once an item gets enough votes there's some copy-and-paste reply that the admin puts on it encouraging people to keep the ideas flowing, without ever having any resolution or action. I used to use it, but it's very depressing when that happens every time.