I don't like where MS is going...

[fatclue_98]

I would completely agree if we were talking about a competitors platform like BB10 but we're talking about a Microsoft platform.

Yes, they should have their services on other platforms but WP should be first with new features with other platforms following.

Food for thought - would it not make sense to have iOS and Android users be Guinea Pigs for new features, get feedback and incorporate any fixes or improvements on the Mother Ship? I know that would be my strategy. Microsoft is not losing any ground to anybody as far as Office is concerned anytime soon. Why not use 97% of the world's mobile users as your developmental engineers?

 

[plot_almighty]

Food for thought - would it not make sense to have iOS and Android users be Guinea Pigs for new features, get feedback and incorporate any fixes or improvements on the Mother Ship? I know that would be my strategy. Microsoft is not losing any ground to anybody as far as Office is concerned anytime soon. Why not use 97% of the world's mobile users as your developmental engineers?

I second this wholeheartedly. Use your competitors as a test bed for your core consumer services, minus Xbox Music which gets next to no love on iOS, and then bring the results home. Too many people spoiled on the idea of how Apple and Google approach things. Keep in mind Ballmer was doing the copycat routine, IE promising the "best experience is on WP", like Apple and Google do, and you see where that went.

I'm saying Nadella is doing it right. I fully support where he's going with things.

 

[neo158]

Food for thought - would it not make sense to have iOS and Android users be Guinea Pigs for new features, get feedback and incorporate any fixes or improvements on the Mother Ship? I know that would be my strategy. Microsoft is not losing any ground to anybody as far as Office is concerned anytime soon. Why not use 97% of the world's mobile users as your developmental engineers?

Now that's another way of looking at it as well. However wouldn't testing be better on a smaller userbase first? I suppose there's no right or wrong way, it's just that WP is still playing catchup in a lot of areas.

I did set up my Galaxy Nexus again to try Office Mobile and on Android it's just as bad, I was unable to edit the same document I was unable to edit on Windows Phone. I haven't tried iOS yet though.

 

[plot_almighty]

Now that's another way of looking at it as well. However wouldn't testing be better on a smaller userbase first? I suppose there's no right or wrong way, it's just that WP is still playing catchup in a lot of areas.

I did set up my Galaxy Nexus again to try Office Mobile and on Android it's just as bad, I was unable to edit the same document I was unable to edit on Windows Phone. I haven't tried iOS yet though.

Nadella has gone on record of saying MS is a "Services and Cloud first" company now. In three strokes he 1) gives other platforms the great Office apps, 2) secures a very large test group on more mature platforms, and 3) adheres to his vision of what MS should be and has been since its founding: A software company.

 

[fatclue_98]

Now that's another way of looking at it as well. However wouldn't testing be better on a smaller userbase first? I suppose there's no right or wrong way, it's just that WP is still playing catchup in a lot of areas.

I did set up my Galaxy Nexus again to try Office Mobile and on Android it's just as bad, I was unable to edit the same document I was unable to edit on Windows Phone. I haven't tried iOS yet though.

Office needs no introduction. I doubt any of the differences, if there are any critical ones, are to be classified as deal breakers. The more feedback, the better. I guess, I'm just a PM scratching out a living. I'll leave those decisions to Nadella.

 

[fatclue_98]

Still feel MS is heading in the wrong direction?

Apple vs. Microsoft: Race is on for #1 | America's Markets

 

[segasaturn]

It's clear to me that when Nadella took over he wanted to de-emphasize MS as a hardware company and focus on promoting MS services on different platforms. He's basically said himself that he doesn't care what device you are using as long as you are using their services (Xbox Music, Bing, Skype) ect. With this kind of logic what is the point of even maintaining WP anymore? If you are making money from your services (which by all accounts they are) why even bother with pleasing the 3% of your audience who actually cares about hardware and who love their WP. They don't need WP anymore. That 3% is like nothing to MS, and I highly doubt they have any regard for if they are pissed off or feel slighted by getting slapped in the face with better software releases on other platforms.

It's sad because I really believed MS had a unique and different vision for how they going to integrate software and hardware together to provide great experiences for their customers who bought into that vision.

 

[Jas00555]

Still feel MS is heading in the wrong direction?

Apple vs. Microsoft: Race is on for #1 | America's Markets

I'd say that Microsoft has got a LONG way to go before it's #1 lol

----------

@op
If you truly believe that Microsoft is headed in the wrong direction, you might want to read this.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/congress-bets-big-on-apple-microsoft-stock/

TL;DR Congress is investing a lot of money in Microsoft to "invest in the future". Actually, they're investing more in Microsoft than they are in any tech company! The closest is Apple at #5. Does that sound like a company headed in the wrong direction?

 

[segasaturn]

It's not just about money. I don't care if they're the most valuable company in America. I care that they support the products which they produce and care enough about their core audience to use some of those resources to reward them for being the hardcore fans who truly support them.

 

[Jas00555]

It's not just about money. .

Lol sure....

 

[fatclue_98]

I'd say that Microsoft has got a LONG way to go before it's #1 lol

----------

@op
If you truly believe that Microsoft is headed in the wrong direction, you might want to read this.

Congress bets big on Apple, Microsoft stock | Ars Technica

TL;DR Congress is investing a lot of money in Microsoft to "invest in the future". Actually, they're investing more in Microsoft than they are in any tech company! The closest is Apple at #5. Does that sound like a company headed in the wrong direction?

It figures Pfizer would be on that list with Congress. Gotta have that little blue pill!

 

[theefman]

Still feel MS is heading in the wrong direction?

Apple vs. Microsoft: Race is on for #1 | America's Markets

I think we all agree Microsoft is on the right track as a company. However as a WP user the low marketshare leads to situations like this: Snapchat is clamping down on 6snap and third-party apps, threatens to lock accounts | Windows Central. With Microsoft concentrating on ios and android and giving the impression they don't care about WP marketshare this is likely to get worse before it gets better.

And just reading the comments shows the irony: people blasting Snapchat for not having an official WP app and asking why WP users are ignored. This is an example of how a WP user's experience is less enjoyable as a result of the small marketshare that Microsoft seems uninterested in increasing and why increasing WP marketshare should be an equal focus for Microsoft as well as putting their services on other platforms.

 

[pedmar007]

STOP with this marketshare BS!!! Marketshare truly means 0 when making a quality app. If an app is made with proper quality and it's one that's always used no matter the OS it's on it WILL be downloaded and used. MS has no excuse for making poorer quality apps for WP than it does for IOS and Android. We keep using this marketshare as a crux each and every time but it still makes anyone who uses the app accept it's lack less easier to accept. Any app created should be done with equal functionality compared to all OSes it's on, the only limitation should be the OEM's hardware if that's applicable. I should never see facebook messenger on IOS and Android have the call feature and not WP. There's no IPhone or Android device that stands head and shoulders above the L1520 and that's a device running last year's tech and you're telling me that any app installed on it would have difficulty in its rendering, YEAH F....G RIGHT!!!!!

Stop with the constant market share BS as that's really 0 excuse for making any ****ty app. It's ANDROID -> IOS -> WP = 3 OSes, and to make an equal app for all three would = to $$ from all 3 OSES not 2 and not the 3rd as anybody wanting to buy a WP would do so knowing that they can get app parity on it and be satisfied. Tell me the ***** COMMERCIALIST that prefers income from 2 sources instead of income from 3!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer me this I'm a car maker and I'm selling cars that go up against Toyota, Mazda, Kia etc, am I to make a car that brakes needs changing every month, seat belts lock up on you suddenly, gas guzzler etc. Because I have a small market share has no basis for me to make crappy cars that no one will want and then I'm spending money on TV ads trying to sell those same cars. If MS isn't entirely interested in WP, then stop with the TV ads for Cortana on a WP, stop having the CEO make announcements, get Joe Belfiore to get a better haircut and get a job at Google. Stop announcing this update in WP OS and that update as YOU don't care so just stop.

 

[Ruined]

A snippet from my post:

Windows Phone had Office exclusively for *years* while iOS/Android had absolutely *nothing.*

Responses:

You're wrong, iOS has iWork and Android has Docs, Sheets and Slides so, no they haven't had "absolutely *nothing.*"

True but it doesn't change the fact that Android and iOS actually have something!!!

Not really. They had nothing official, but there were plenty of 3rd party Office apps, and some of them were, and still are, better than Microsoft's Office apps.

My response:
Actually, I'm right - in context. The OP I responded to was about Microsoft Office and Microsoft apps, not about Random Productivity Suite #5 by {Insert non-Microsoft developer here}. And, Windows Phone had Microsoft Office exclusively for *years* while once again iOS/Android had nothing. Yes, they had iOS/Android imitation apps but given the OP is lamenting Microsoft-authored apps that is 100% irrelevant to the discussion.

So once again, I find it extremely short-sighted and odd to be lamenting about the latest and greatest app, when we've had exclusivity to that suite for years while the competition had nothing, and we all well know Microsoft is putting their efforts into a W10 version (~6 months away) as Microsoft has already said so! iOS/Android users waited years and years with no MS Office at all, I really think Windows Phone users can wait 6 months to get their app updated to the latest and greatest version.

Finally, why is the Verge framing this as "Microsoft is screwing over its users" (baloney) rather than "Microsoft is by far the most cross-platform friendly company out of the big three" (reality)? Answer: Because they have always been biased against Microsoft and Windows Phone.

 

[neo158]

A snippet from my post:


Responses:




My response:
Actually, I'm right - in context. The OP I responded to was about Microsoft Office and Microsoft apps, not about Random Productivity Suite #5 by {Insert non-Microsoft developer here}. And, Windows Phone had Microsoft Office for *years* while once again iOS/Android had nothing. Yes, they had iOS/Android imitation apps but given the OP is lamenting Microsoft-authored apps that is 100% irrelevant to the discussion.

So once again, I find it extremely short-sighted and odd to be lamenting about the latest and greatest app, when we've had exclusivity to that suite for years while the competition had nothing, and we all well know Microsoft is putting their efforts into a W10 version (~6 months away) as Microsoft has already said so!

Finally, why is the Verge framing this as "Microsoft is screwing over its users" (baloney) rather than "Microsoft is by far the most cross-platform friendly company out of the big three" (reality)? Answer: Because they have always been biased against Microsoft and Windows Phone.

I just pointed out that they have their own Office applications so why are you bothering to have a go at me?

 

[Ruined]

I just pointed out that they have their own Office applications so why are you bothering to have a go at me?

Because as noted in my previous post, this thread's original post, the Verge article linked, my reply, and the rest of this thread has been about Microsoft delivering Microsoft-authored apps to various platforms, not Office clones by other developers.

 

[fatclue_98]

A snippet from my post:


Responses:




My response:
Actually, I'm right - in context. The OP I responded to was about Microsoft Office and Microsoft apps, not about Random Productivity Suite #5 by {Insert non-Microsoft developer here}. And, Windows Phone had Microsoft Office exclusively for *years* while once again iOS/Android had nothing. Yes, they had iOS/Android imitation apps but given the OP is lamenting Microsoft-authored apps that is 100% irrelevant to the discussion.

So once again, I find it extremely short-sighted and odd to be lamenting about the latest and greatest app, when we've had exclusivity to that suite for years while the competition had nothing, and we all well know Microsoft is putting their efforts into a W10 version (~6 months away) as Microsoft has already said so!

Finally, why is the Verge framing this as "Microsoft is screwing over its users" (baloney) rather than "Microsoft is by far the most cross-platform friendly company out of the big three" (reality)? Answer: Because they have always been biased against Microsoft and Windows Phone.

Actually, Office for Mobile has been around since waaaaaay before Android or iOS. I'll let you in on another dirty little secret - the Office apps on WinMo were much better and much closer to their desktop versions. I'd even go as far as to say that Docs To Go is even better than the current crop of mobile Office and supports PDF to boot.

 

[fatclue_98]

I just pointed out that they have their own Office applications so why are you bothering to have a go at me?

Hey, this is Phone Wars. Nobody's above the fray when the flamethrowers are lit. :winktongue:

 

[wpn00b]

I look at it as Microsoft creating a compelling experience where most of the users are currently. They are sending a Trojan horse(Skype, Office, OneNote) to the other camps and getting users or maintaining users before they get trapped in another ecosystem. They've focused resources on creating those apps first to hold the users and now they are focusing on their own offerings. When those offerings are complete they will be released as the place to go when your current device is in need of an upgrade. By then the experience will have been improved greatly and the best experience will be on Windows(phone, desktop, tablets).

 

[neo158]

Because as noted in my previous post, this thread's original post, the Verge article linked, my reply, and the rest of this thread has been about Microsoft delivering Microsoft-authored apps to various platforms, not Office clones by other developers.

Those other developers are Apple and Google by the way so they aren't clones but mobile versions of their respective productivity applications. So it's very relevant to this thread in fact.

Microsoft will still be/are competing with both iWork and Docs, Sheets and Slides on their respective platforms as well.