How comfortable do you feel with the future of WP7?

[spitothec]

So how comfortable do you feel about the current and future state of WP7? Are there a lot of little things that get to you, do you feel like it is very polished or needs a lot of work, and how much would you recommend it to geeky and non-geeky friends and colleagues? As someone who is looking at the real possibility of starting a (internet-based) business in the next year, would you recommend this phone to a business oriented person?

Current and future of WP7 is abysmal unless MS changes their update frequency, procedures, and shows something that looks like a sense of urgency involving ANYTHING that has to do with this platform. As of right now, it's almost like they're saying "OK, we launched it.. see ya next year", and I truly believe we won't get a big update of any sort until next year. In fact, I don't even think they'll be able to correct half of the bugs this year.

It needs more work than any other OS currently on the market, aside from MAYBE Android. It's broken, and in dire need of fixes, updates, patches, and ANYTHING that would make this a better experience.

To a non-geeky friend that wouldn't notice bugs and doesn't know what an Android or iPhone are capable of, it's a wonderful phone. To geeks, it will drive them bat**** because, like I said, it's severely broken and Microsoft doesn't seem to care.

For business use, I'd rank this below Blackberry but I guess above Android and iPhone just because of security issues. If security is NOT a key factor, I'd rank it below everything but WebOS.

 

[tre-nitty]

This is a hilarious statement!!!

I wouldn't be concerned about WP7's long-term future. MS have VERY deep pockets, and they know that smartphones/mobile computing is a market they simply cannot afford to lose. In other words, even if it takes a few years to catch on, even if it takes years to turn a profit, I belive MS will stick to Windows Phone.

Look at Xbox if you want to see what MS are capable of if they are really determined to break into a market. To put it bluntly, Xbox launched at a time when PS2 completely dominated the market already, and nobody was thinking "gee, I really wish MS would release their own console!" It took a while to catch on, and it lost BILLIONS of dollars, but Xbox actually beat Nintendo Gamecube in sales.

Now, Xbox 360 actually beat Playstation 3 in sales. 6-7 years ago, that would've seemed inconceivable. MS's games division is finally turning a profit. They have the best online gaming service, sold over 8 million Kinects at launch, and have even been outselling Nintendo Wii recently.

THAT is what MS is capable of when they have the money and willpower to step into an already super-competitive market, and see it through.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but releasing a console a year ahead of schedule full of defects(rrod) and paying for games to come exclusively to your console isn't beating anything. If i'm not mistaken, xbox is barely ahead of ps3 at this point and that's with them lowering the price to dirt cheap for a xbox. They'll never catch the wii so please let that statement go. Let's face it, M$ is just extremely deep pocketed. That's truly the only way they even remain competitive in any market because they definitely don't offer a better product. Mac's are hands down better than pc's, ps3 is better than xbox in every way except for maybe online and that's becoming debatable, and android and ios make wp7 look like ****. I know you like M$ but please stop acting like they do anything more than throw their $ around.

 

[Averry]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but releasing a console a year ahead of schedule full of defects(rrod) and paying for games to come exclusively to your console isn't beating anything. If i'm not mistaken, xbox is barely ahead of ps3 at this point and that's with them lowering the price to dirt cheap for a xbox. They'll never catch the wii so please let that statement go. Let's face it, M$ is just extremely deep pocketed. That's truly the only way they even remain competitive in any market because they definitely don't offer a better product. Mac's are hands down better than pc's, ps3 is better than xbox in every way except for maybe online and that's becoming debatable, and android and ios make wp7 look like ****. I know you like M$ but please stop acting like they do anything more than throw their $ around.

They make money on Xbox and Kinect now and that's after adding features. Sony had to strip the PS3 of features to make it competitive. How is the PS3 better in every way? If there's anything we've learned through the years, is that specs dont' alway matter, and Sony hasn't been able to do much with their awesome spec besides release a few really pretty exclusives that haven't put them over the hump.

You forget that the PS3 has been the first one to drop prices more than once this gen.

Mac LAPTOPS are usually nicer, but that's because the OEM's gave up trying, and Apple does charge a fairly heavy Apple tax.


Besides...why are you ****ting on Microsoft....didn't you hear they are underdogs now?

 

[Averry]

You know what...I've said what I felt like saying...

But lets NOT get into a PS3/Xbox debate here. That's just dumb, and I have other forums for that.

 

[jtn05]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but releasing a console a year ahead of schedule full of defects(rrod) and paying for games to come exclusively to your console isn't beating anything. If i'm not mistaken, xbox is barely ahead of ps3 at this point and that's with them lowering the price to dirt cheap for a xbox. They'll never catch the wii so please let that statement go. Let's face it, M$ is just extremely deep pocketed. That's truly the only way they even remain competitive in any market because they definitely don't offer a better product. Mac's are hands down better than pc's, ps3 is better than xbox in every way except for maybe online and that's becoming debatable, and android and ios make wp7 look like ****. I know you like M$ but please stop acting like they do anything more than throw their $ around.

I know this is off subject but what are your reasons for saying mac's are better than pc's? I own both and truth be told besides the look, i really don't see why people go so crazy over macs.

 

[Averry]

I know this is off subject but what are your reasons for saying mac's are better than pc's? I own both and truth be told besides the look, i really don't see why people go so crazy over macs.

Software is all preference...but I dont' think there's any debate that Apple Laptops are the cream of the crop....they're just so expensive.

 

[jtn05]

Software is all preference...but I dont' think there's any debate that Apple Laptops are the cream of the crop....they're just so expensive.

Even tho im not big on the software i will agree that the mac laptops are the pretty top notch, mainly because most pc laptops are just plain ugly and poorly designed.

 

[kalldrexx]

I picked up my Focus today. I have a calendar reminder setup to remind me in 25 days that I need to make a final decision on if I am keeping it for the next two years or not.

That being said, first impressions are good. I really like what I have seen so far, though I am still getting things setup and playing around with it.

The only grievance I have so far is with the keyboard. Key placement I just have to get used to (It's a much bigger screen than my last phone, and the keys are spaced out a lot more than my old phone) but that's no big deal, but having the backspace SO close to the return key is annoying. I keep hitting the return key when I mean to hit the backspace.

 

[Luisraul924]

I picked up my Focus today. I have a calendar reminder setup to remind me in 25 days that I need to make a final decision on if I am keeping it for the next two years or not.

That being said, first impressions are good. I really like what I have seen so far, though I am still getting things setup and playing around with it.

The only grievance I have so far is with the keyboard. Key placement I just have to get used to (It's a much bigger screen than my last phone, and the keys are spaced out a lot more than my old phone) but that's no big deal, but having the backspace SO close to the return key is annoying. I keep hitting the return key when I mean to hit the backspace.

Thank You KallDrexx for giving WP7 a legit chance. It took me a while to adjust to the keyboard as well but now, its probably the fastest I've ever typed on a smartphone. I really hope that the coming update doesn't sh!t on your phone, that would be a horrible new customer experience from Microsoft (given the track record on the updates from Samsung devices) hopefully you can get the update nice and smoothly with no errors, that way you can see a better less buggy WP7 (since a lot of people stuck out with the original release for quite a while now)

 

[smartpatrol]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but releasing a console a year ahead of schedule full of defects(rrod) and paying for games to come exclusively to your console isn't beating anything. If i'm not mistaken, xbox is barely ahead of ps3 at this point and that's with them lowering the price to dirt cheap for a xbox. They'll never catch the wii so please let that statement go. Let's face it, M$ is just extremely deep pocketed. That's truly the only way they even remain competitive in any market because they definitely don't offer a better product. Mac's are hands down better than pc's, ps3 is better than xbox in every way except for maybe online and that's becoming debatable, and android and ios make wp7 look like ****. I know you like M$ but please stop acting like they do anything more than throw their $ around.

Yeah, MS bought their way into the game console market. That's exactly what I was saying. And they will do the same with the smartphone market.

That doesn't mean they don't have a good product. Xbox 360 has arguably the best selection of games, the best development tools, the best online service (MS actually host all DLC and game servers free of charge for game publishers), and a better price than PS3. And you know what? Many analysts expected PS3 to pass up 360 in sales YEARS ago, but it never happened, and it might never happen. But either way, it is incredibly impressive that MS were able to break into a super-competitive market, eventually gain a large chunk of the market share, and turn a profit. THAT was my point.

(BTW I have all 3 systems and I love my PS3 as well. Leave the childish ****** BS for a different forum, please.)

 

[L3vi]

I don't think MS can just give up. That being said, I was hoping for more frequent updates. Mango is a long time away, and in that time iOS and Android will have surged further ahead in terms of features. WP7's UI is beautiful a joy to use, but if you want to keep customers they need to add features that the other OSes have, and quickly at that. Mango needs to bring more than just MTing, IE9, and Twitter integration. They need to fix bugs, bring turn by turn, BETTER ACCOUNT SYNCING (outlook, secondary calendars, more types of accounts etc.), and FULL SKYDRIVE INTEGRATION and support for more file formats. Also, unlock more sockets and APIs for developers so they can crank out more advanced apps.

It's nice as it is right now, but I want to start doing some REAL work management from my phone. I'm getting busier and busier everyday.

 

[tuffluck]

In other words, even if it takes a few years to catch on, even if it takes years to turn a profit, I belive MS will stick to Windows Phone.

i'm not sure about the OP, but i feel like when most phone-users ask about "long term" effects of a phone, they really mean the next 1.5-2 years until they can upgrade to the next phone. do many people really own phones for longer this day in age? not really.

the windows phone 7 platform might be something users will go back to, but for me in 2 years i'll definitely be open to android/iphone/blackberry too, not just windows. i'll basically be looking for the coolest phone out at that time, and i feel like a good portion of smart phone users do the same.

so...who really cares about long-term with the wp7? push nodo and make some big changes, i'll probably be set for the next year until i get something new.

 

[Averry]

i'm not sure about the OP, but i feel like when most phone-users ask about "long term" effects of a phone, they really mean the next 1.5-2 years until they can upgrade to the next phone. do many people really own phones for longer this day in age? not really.

the windows phone 7 platform might be something users will go back to, but for me in 2 years i'll definitely be open to android/iphone/blackberry too, not just windows. i'll basically be looking for the coolest phone out at that time, and i feel like a good portion of smart phone users do the same.

so...who really cares about long-term with the wp7? push nodo and make some big changes, i'll probably be set for the next year until i get something new.

I think for phone nerds like us, it's kinda easy to consider jumping ship when the next new new hot hotness comes out....but for most people...they get comfortable in an ecosystem. As long as Microsoft supplies me with Xbox Live and Zune Pass, I'll be a happy camper. But also, all of your apps that you purchase always carry over after all....so I can't imagine a person who owns and iPhone and say...$100 worth of apps and games over a 2 year period will be extremely likely to throw all that away.

 

[tuffluck]

I think for phone nerds like us, it's kinda easy to consider jumping ship when the next new new hot hotness comes out....but for most people...they get comfortable in an ecosystem. As long as Microsoft supplies me with Xbox Live and Zune Pass, I'll be a happy camper. But also, all of your apps that you purchase always carry over after all....so I can't imagine a person who owns and iPhone and say...$100 worth of apps and games over a 2 year period will be extremely likely to throw all that away.

yeah, i mean i did it, but i can always go back to an iphone one day and have my apps too. i've spend a bit of money on the windows apps, but i'm most likely done as all the free ones suck and a good majority of the paid ones do also. that's something really nothing microsoft can do much about, but a big disappointment for me. i'd say if the marketplace isn't significantly better in a year, they will lose a big fanbase.

 

[Averry]

yeah, i mean i did it, but i can always go back to an iphone one day and have my apps too. i've spend a bit of money on the windows apps, but i'm most likely done as all the free ones suck and a good majority of the paid ones do also. that's something really nothing microsoft can do much about, but a big disappointment for me. i'd say if the marketplace isn't significantly better in a year, they will lose a big fanbase.

You don't count though.

You're a phone nerd spending your time on a cell phone forum.

Nerd.

 

[Luisraul924]

You don't count though.

You're a phone nerd spending your time on a cell phone forum.

Nerd.

Lol

 

[cdook]

I think for phone nerds like us, it's kinda easy to consider jumping ship when the next new new hot hotness comes out....but for most people...they get comfortable in an ecosystem. As long as Microsoft supplies me with Xbox Live and Zune Pass, I'll be a happy camper. But also, all of your apps that you purchase always carry over after all....so I can't imagine a person who owns and iPhone and say...$100 worth of apps and games over a 2 year period will be extremely likely to throw all that away.

Yea that's one of the dangerous things about being locked into these ecosystems. Say someone loves WP7 or BlackBerry. They're not going to switch if they've got iTunes DRMed music and $100 in apps. Of course you could always keep your old phone and just use it on WiFi as a gaming device, but most people don't think like that.

But yea, at the same time... I've got 100s of CDs from 2003-2004 that I'm never going to listen to ever again. If this music was locked to a device, I would still be willing to jump ship.

 

[Averry]

Yea that's one of the dangerous things about being locked into these ecosystems. Say someone loves WP7 or BlackBerry. They're not going to switch if they've got iTunes DRMed music and $100 in apps. Of course you could always keep your old phone and just use it on WiFi as a gaming device, but most people don't think like that.

But yea, at the same time... I've got 100s of CDs from 2003-2004 that I'm never going to listen to ever again. If this music was locked to a device, I would still be willing to jump ship.

But most likely Zune...where you can download all of those for $15.


BTW....iTunes hasn't had DRM on it for like 4 year or something. I don't think most people have that issue....it's just that some people think they NEED itunes or something.

 

[Luisraul924]

But most likely Zune...where you can download all of those for $15.


BTW....iTunes hasn't had DRM on it for like 4 year or something. I don't think most people have that issue....it's just that some people think they NEED itunes or something.

True... I am sure I am not alone in thinking that Zune is just waaay better than iTunes right? (This being apart from fanboys)

 

[CJ Thunder]

But most likely Zune...where you can download all of those for $15.


BTW....iTunes hasn't had DRM on it for like 4 year or something. I don't think most people have that issue....it's just that some people think they NEED itunes or something.

Those ten song credits you get with Zune pass are DRM'd. Makes me sad.