New name for WP7

[mkr10001]

Really?

That's lame...

. Calling it Windows tied it to Windows Mobile.
Numbering it 7, tied it to Windows Mobile.

Only to a select group of people....a number so small and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. You ask a 16 year old school girl if she wants a windows phone she isn't going to say "no, it's windows mobile isn't it?"

Not enough people will actually make that link.

 

[Reflexx]

That's lame...

So were your insults. So we're even.

Only to a select group of people....a number so small and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. You ask a 16 year old school girl if she wants a windows phone she isn't going to say "no, it's windows mobile isn't it?"

Not enough people will actually make that link.

I wish that were the case.

Unfortunately, 16 yr old school girls aren't the ones spending the money on smart phones. Most don't even have jobs.

And probably the biggest problem with people equating it with WinMo is when it comes to people actually selling the phones. Or other tech geeks who are currently Android or iPhone owners. These tech geeks are often the ones that regular people turn to for advice with their mobile phone purchasing questions.

So, the negative association doesn't have to be wide spread among all consumers. But it is wide spread among people of some influence.

I've seen the link made MANY times. I'm surprised that you haven't seen it.

 

[mkr10001]

So were your insults. So we're even.





I wish that were the case.

Unfortunately, 16 yr old school girls aren't the ones spending the money on smart phones. Most don't even have jobs.

And probably the biggest problem with people equating it with WinMo is when it comes to people actually selling the phones. Or other tech geeks who are currently Android or iPhone owners. These tech geeks are often the ones that regular people turn to for advice with their mobile phone purchasing questions.

So, the negative association doesn't have to be wide spread among all consumers. But it is wide spread among people of some influence.

I've seen the link made MANY times. I'm surprised that you haven't seen it.

Well it's the parents isn't it. I see that some people may think it's going to be the same as windows mobile but I'm a tech person so I have heard of it. I don't really think enough "non tech " people are aware of windows mobile and how atrocious (apparently, I've never used it ) it was

 

[Dave Blake]

Make your point be civil to one another its the Windows Phone Central way.

 

[Pronk]

I think it's too late for a name change now. but a name change would have been good at the start. Why?

1. Distance from Windows Mobile
2. Distance from desktop Windows

And as mentioned above, WP7 doesn't even HAVE any Windows on it or any similarity to desktop Windows (and even when Win 8 comes in, that's still going to be limited to start screen look), so the name link is a hangover from when Windows Mobile DID look like desktop Windows. And before the whole "It's what their biggest product is" starts up again, what's Microsoft's biggest consumer HARDWARE product? Is it the Windows Xbox? No - because they knew tagging the Windows name on it would be like a lead weight round its neck. And is WP7 aimed mainly at business types who'll appreciate the Windows brand? No - it's aimed at ordinary consumers.

Windows to most people is office and work and what they have on their home PC that nags them about updates and the like. Android isn't called Google OS. iOS isn't called Mac Mobile. Even Zune isn't called Windows Music Player, and nor was the hardware. With WP7, Microsoft bizarrely tied two completely different products together with a brand name that's meaningless on one of them because of the name of their previous, completely incompatible, outdated and largely disliked mobile OS that at one time looked like their desktop OS used to; somehow this legacy was thought worth keeping when a fresh new name, or even a name more in line with their similar products (Zune OS? Xbox Phone? LiveOS?) might have worked much better.

It was an odd choice, to say the least.

 

[alaskanjackson]

Most of the world does not have a negative association with Windows/Microsoft and it is one of the most recognized (and pirated) brands in the world. The US has roughly 4-5% of the worlds population and we a not reproducing like we used too. Microsoft is building a simple interface that appeals to the broadest possible demographic. They can roll out updates unlike Apple/Google. They allow other companies (Nokia, HTC, Samsung) to make the hardware and market to the real growing consumer markets for MS phones, India/China/Indonesia/Africa. So don't change the name, just keep marketing in the growing economies.

 

[Pronk]

Most of the world does not have a negative association with Windows/Microsoft and it is one of the most recognized (and pirated) brands in the world.

Doesn't have to be a negative association, just one that doesn't suit the demographic you're aiming for.

 

[massifheed]

Two years down the line, when Windows 8 has been out for a while, and the two platforms (desktop and mobile) share the same Metro look, then it'll make more sense.

Four years down the line, when the Metro UI is the accepted norm for Windows devices, calling it anything other than Windows Phone will seem wierd.

I agree though, at the moment Windows Phone is an odd choice of name, given the Windows Mobile history. I've forgotten how many times I've had to say to people, "No, it's Windows Phone, not Windows Mobile. The two are completely different."

 

[Reflexx]

Two years down the line, when Windows 8 has been out for a while, and the two platforms (desktop and mobile) share the same Metro look, then it'll make more sense.

Four years down the line, when the Metro UI is the accepted norm for Windows devices, calling it anything other than Windows Phone will seem wierd.

I agree though, at the moment Windows Phone is an odd choice of name, given the Windows Mobile history. I've forgotten how many times I've had to say to people, "No, it's Windows Phone, not Windows Mobile. The two are completely different."

I find it amazing when you see tech journalists write articles referring to it as Windows Mobile.

 

[welsbloke]

I agree the name is a problem, it is combination of Windows and Microsoft themselves. Windows mobile at the time was actually a damn fine phone although prone to reboots and poor battery life but then you could say it was ahead of its time.

I quite like the "sexual badger" as suggested by cgk1 but suspect although a talking point would probably suffer the same problem but for different reasons... Badgers spread TB!

 

[Reflexx]

Imagine that. Get HTC's new Sexual Badger device, the Titan.

That could be taken so many ways.

 

[ashykat]

I remember when they announced "Windows Phone 7 Series", and all I could think was, WTF?

Then it was Windows Phone 7 after dropping the Series, still better, but the problem is it's not going to stay on version 7 forever, we're already on 7.5.

I get that it's simply "Windows Phone" at this point and it's running Windows Phone 7.5, but I think they could have been a lot clearer from the start. Tying Windows into the name linked them to their old mobile OS even though they rebuilt it. It's moot now because I doubt they'd change after all this but I thing a different name could have really made it more obvious this was a new OS and not another incremental update to WinMo. I think it's awkward to say, "It's running windows phone." Does that make sense? It's a windows phone, but what OS is it running? With an iPhone, it's running iOS. For Android phones they're running Android, FroYo, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, etc.

It was a rocky start with marketing, I remember Steve Ballmer calling the phones ?always delightful? and ?wonderfully mine?. I'm glad they didn't push that any further. I liked all the "really?" commercials because they were funny, but they really didn't show enough of the OS in those commercials. Anyway now I've gone onto some tangent, Lol.

I like LiveOS

 

[mkr10001]

LiveOS sounds terrible. Never gonna happen. Why does it have to be anything "OS" anyway"

 

[Rhody#WP]

I get that it's simply "Windows Phone" at this point and it's running Windows Phone 7.5, but I think they could have been a lot clearer from the start. Tying Windows into the name linked them to their old mobile OS even though they rebuilt it. It's moot now because I doubt they'd change after all this but I thing a different name could have really made it more obvious this was a new OS and not another incremental update to WinMo. I think it's awkward to say, "It's running windows phone." Does that make sense? It's a windows phone, but what OS is it running? With an iPhone, it's running iOS. For Android phones they're running Android, FroYo, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, etc.

Actually, Windows Phone is the name of the operating system. I have an HTC Titan running Windows Phone.

 

[snowmutt]

Within a couple years, the vast majority of users will have forgotten Windows Mobile. Hey, Microsoft got past "Vista" they will survive the Windows Mobile, which really was only around a few years.

However, MetroOS and LiveOS both sound a lot more catchy than WP.

 

[lumic]

LiveOS sounds awful in my opinion. Microsoft has always driven it as Windows Live because Live in itself has no identity.

Only retards who can't work a computer hate windows....If you use your brain and common sense windows is fine. None of this "too many viruses gibberish".

Fine is subjective and doesn't always cut it. I've used almost everything since 95, but I still regularly bump into situations where I wish I had a Mac.

- Windows touch pads suck, period.
- Very few utilities that are reasonable in price and friendly to the consumer. Sony Vegas and Sony DVD Architect are my best bet for making a home DVD that isn't embarrassing. Can't run the Adobe suite, because some smart people in the industry decided 1366x768 should become the laptop standard.
- Majority of laptops have inferior battery life, and the ones that don't have severe compromises.
- No appealing all-in-one to rival the iMac.
- Where's the GarageBand alternative? I need to use some poorly designed clone named Mixcraft.
- Disgusting font smoothing. It's so bad in third-party browsers that I've had to return to IE9.
- UI still stinks of Windows 95 in many places. Content within windows look horribly aged, just with some "pretty" Aero around the edges.

 

[ashykat]

Actually, Windows Phone is the name of the operating system. I have an HTC Titan running Windows Phone.

Yeah I know it is but it just doesn't sound right to me. "Windows Phone" sounds like the phone itself, not an operating system. That's the problem to me. People who don't frequent tech blogs may think, "Oh it's a phone that runs Windows, why would I want that when I can get a Super Saga Universe Warmonger Touch IV running Android Jelly Doughnut powered by Google?"

 

[apRPhle]

What about DOS BOSS!

 

[N8ter]

LiveOS sounds awful in my opinion. Microsoft has always driven it as Windows Live because Live in itself has no identity.


Fine is subjective and doesn't always cut it. I've used almost everything since 95, but I still regularly bump into situations where I wish I had a Mac.

- Windows touch pads suck, period.
- Very few utilities that are reasonable in price and friendly to the consumer. Sony Vegas and Sony DVD Architect are my best bet for making a home DVD that isn't embarrassing. Can't run the Adobe suite, because some smart people in the industry decided 1366x768 should become the laptop standard.
- Majority of laptops have inferior battery life, and the ones that don't have severe compromises.
- No appealing all-in-one to rival the iMac.
- Where's the GarageBand alternative? I need to use some poorly designed clone named Mixcraft.
- Disgusting font smoothing. It's so bad in third-party browsers that I've had to return to IE9.
- UI still stinks of Windows 95 in many places. Content within windows look horribly aged, just with some "pretty" Aero around the edges.

My Laptop has a 1400*900 screen resolution. Find a decent Windows laptop.

Not all Windows TouchPads suck, but I tend to use a mouse with my laptop, cause I don't find touchpads pleasureable to use - period. I've always done this, and I've been using laptops for about 13 years going strong.

I'm not sure what you're talking about utilities friendly and reasonable in price. Windows certainly has a MUCH MUCH bigger software category than Apple's OS. Lots of people use Windows precicely because of that. Macs are also pretty trash for hardcore gamers as well. Vegas is not that expensive. Anything above iMovie on the Mac (and iMovie isn't all that great, mind you) isn't necessarily super-cheap, either.

MacBooks generally have tons of severe compromizes. People buy them cause their trendy and so expensive that they make great fashion statements. It's like buying an expensive pair of Tommy Jeans missing pockets when some cheap Wrangler's from Wal-Mart would get the job done just as well. In addition to the compromizes on the iMacs, they come with an insulting price tag. There is a whole sub-genre of machines called UltraBooks that compete with MacBook Air for Windows Machines. It's been a while since I used a MacBook pro. I can buy two good Windows laptops for that price, so I won't ever touch those.

There are really good AIO Windows Machines. I'm still trying to figure out what makes them so inferior to you, really... The hardware of an equivalently priced Windows AIO machine certainly puts any iMac to shame. Same for Apple's premium priced but budget spec'd Notebooks...

I doubt many people are buying Macs simply because they cannot get a GarageBand app on Windows, Lol. It's a decent app, but really you're stretching it.

Fortunately IE9 is a very good browser, so there's no loss there.

Firstly, Windows actually has maintained really good compatibility across multiple decades. There are actually still some DOS and Windows 3.x applications that run on Windows 7 - believe it or not. To do this, user controls have to remain relatively compatible, or the layout of applications is destroyed due to those changes.

Secondly, I dunno what you mean by horribly aged and looking like Windows 95. Most of the user controls in Windows were given a facelife back at Windows XP, and Vista and 7 introduced a few more improvements to them. Has staring at your mac made you blind.

I know the distortion field is hard to break down, but MacOS is not the epitome of beauty itself. In fact some of the design decisions made there are downright attrocious and done just cause Apple wanted it to be done that way. At least they have more than one button on their mice now, though... Took them long enough...

Seriously I'll never understand why people expect a $500 cheapo laptop or $300 netbook to be competitive with a $1000 Mac (well, more like 800 when you take off the Apple Tax). For the same price, you can get a Windows Machine that will embarass that Mac spec-wise and in performance.

If you're a gamer, a Mac is trash unless you play a very small selection of games, or something like WoW.

P.S. LiveOS sounds beyond awful, and it's too late to rebrand it. That would just make it look like they're trying to save face, and they've done enough of that. They had their chance to call it something else, back when they renamed it from Windows Phone Series 7 OS or whatever stupid name they had to Windows Phone 7. They (and we) just have to deal with it, now.

 

[jalb]

I think it would be a mistake for Microsoft to try to change the name now. Their branding is already a mess, and all over the place. If they want to represent themselves as a cohesive ecosystem, they need to have cohesive naming conventions.