No Windows Phone left behind... next time...

[ninjaap]

Microsoft: we won't need to rip up Windows Phone again | News | PC Pro

We will see. I'm just going to assume WP8 won't upgrade to WP9 for now.

 

[12Danny123]

Microsoft: we won't need to rip up Windows Phone again | News | PC Pro

We will see. I'm just going to assume WP8 won't upgrade to WP9 for now.

No they are meaning they will not change the kernel in a very long time and I really think wp8 will be upgradable to wp9 because they are using the same kernel and every else is the same

 

[index1366]

They're going to keep the core, and just upgrade the "peripherals" of the system. After some time, they're maybe going to rewrite the core and start from scratch. Just as they did with WP7 .

 

[MrBurrrns]

No they are meaning they will not change the kernel in a very long time and I really think wp8 will be upgradable to wp9 because they are using the same kernel and every else is the same

To tell the truth, you do not know that. Nobody knows. And speaking from experience, we should not count on that.

 

[blehblehbleh]

To tell the truth, you do not know that. Nobody knows. And speaking from experience, we should not count on that.

What? How does that make sense? MS clearly wants a unified experience with their ecosystem not only for consumers but developers as well. The latter, has always been the case (Steve Ballmer rant ya know). MS wants app compatibility across all its products and it'll do that by keeping the framework foundations relatively the same

So unless MS suddenly decides to dump the NT kernel right after Windows 8 or there's a distinct programming model/language shift I don't see it happening right after WP8.

 

[AngryNil]

It makes sense, as there's no real reason to switch kernels again (unless the desktop is changed as well). I don't think you're going to see such compatibility breakage any time soon. But there really is no guarantee, especially with the fast pace of the mobile industry.

 

[johnmcd348]

Well, this is how I see it. Take it for what it's worth.

They built WP7 on the old CE OS yet made it completely incompatible with existing WM6.5 which forced a lot of people like myself into the cold until we moved to WP7. Now, they are using the existing old tech NT kernel for the newer OS and somehow are going to make it so that many/most of the existing apps will still function. Similar to how older programs are still backwards compatible on our computers. these phones we use now are more sophisticated than the desktops we used less than 5-10 years ago.

So long as Microsoft continues to use and build on their existing OS's Kernel to create the next levels WP8,9,.......15, etc, I see no problem here. Perhaps it will go back to the way it was in the older days of CE, 2003,.....,6.5. Perhaps, I can see it finally getting to a point of total connectivity and cross platform compatibility where we'll see programs bought and labeled as being compatible with, Win(12 speculative) and it being capable of running on your tablet, Phone and desktop.

The only real issues I have with MS is how they've marketed and pushed these changes. There was no real reason to make WP7 incompatible with 6.5. If they were planning ahead to recreate the whole OS from scratch anyway. WP7, 7.5, 7.8, was just an unpublished stop gap measure. Why create a hardware platform that was going to be changed back to essentially what it was before aside from the actual chip sets. Ever since the introduction of WP7 from WM6.5, I see nothing but bad marketing and implementation. They really need to step up their game if they hope to come back to even a fraction of what they once were in mobile computing. No real marketing, constant major changes(as seen by the public at large) making what was bought today nearly useless tomorrow. This is more than a simple issue of advancing technology. It's poor planning and poor marketing in my eyes.

Reminds me how Commodore ran their show. they dominated and became lax and let everyone else pass them by. Where are they now?

 

[jimski]

"There was no real reason to make WP7 incompatible with 6.5".

The three button arrangement, dedicated camera button and non-resistive (capacitive) screen, are three things I can think of off the top of my head. All hardware differences. The HD2 proved it was technically possible. But at what price regarding user experience. A phone is more than the OS.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[blehblehbleh]

^Not just those added hardware features but the chips being used as well. All those windows mobile phones upgradeable to 6.5, from what I looked up, had a big degree in which cpu model used and clock speeds. MS would've had to program WP7 for the lowest phone.

Not to mention there could be significant differences in the chips on what added machine instructions each could take, meaning you could have phones with better features and older ones that don't. So yeah user experience, given it was their new concern, would've taken a hit.

 

[johnmcd348]

OK, User experience was their new concern. What about all the people who invested money and time into the new hardware only to be told 2 years later, You've been 6.5'd again.

I know it sounds like I'm a hater, but I'm really not. I'll be getting a WP8 device when Sprint brings one out. I'm getting the parts together now to build a new system for when Win8 comes out later this year. Probably won't go tablet though, we already have a couple of droid tablets that suit our needs. It'll probably be a few months after so others can work out the kinks. I just really wish Microsoft would get their act together.

 

[trivor]

There is no reason (hardware wise - the hardware is/was available - dual core, NFC, etc.) that 2nd Gen devices couldn't have been upgrade able to WP8 - there isn't anyone that has yet to explain this gap given that MS and it's partners KNEW (I am sure WP8 was in development when WP7 was released - that is a given knowing software development cycles) that current WP7 hardware WOULD NOT be upgrade able to WP8.

 

[fwaits]

They had a hard decision to make, but I think it was the right one. Ultimately the options were this:

1. Upgrade the same 6.5 core to some new 7.0 and limp along for another 2 years before they could get the new shared core kernel ready and see WP8 as we see coming now.

OR

2. Make an interim OS version that would get a new UI, much better performing user experience and tools/apps that would be upward compatible to the final destination (WP8 shared core)

Number 1 meant a likely worsening of their position in the market to the point that WP8 2 years later may really be "too late". Number 2 meant they would piss off a small subset (Gen 2 users mostly as most Gen 1 users by the time WP8 releases will be due or near due to upgrade anyway) to a degree, but they would still share the same UI experience and most apps.

With the new shared core, it's highly unlikely there will be a backward compatibility issue like this again for quite some time, unless they want to do that for the entire Windows line.

 

[perbear]

OK, User experience was their new concern. What about all the people who invested money and time into the new hardware only to be told 2 years later, You've been 6.5'd again.

I know it sounds like I'm a hater, but I'm really not. I'll be getting a WP8 device when Sprint brings one out. I'm getting the parts together now to build a new system for when Win8 comes out later this year. Probably won't go tablet though, we already have a couple of droid tablets that suit our needs. It'll probably be a few months after so others can work out the kinks. I just really wish Microsoft would get their act together.

<JohnMacD348 wrote: What about all the people who invested money and time into the new hardware only to be told 2 years later, You've been 6.5'd again.>
With the pace that the phone manufacturers (like Nokia, Samsung and HTC) work that dilemma will always be present. It will of course dived the phone owners into two groups; those that are satisfied with how their phone works and not necessarily want to change to a newer model and those that are set to shift to the newest, brightest, coolest device ever at any time. Also, I think this is a generation issue. You probably don't need Windows 8 Phone to make your calls, text messages or mms (if you are familiar with them already) and you probably don't need a model that runs on a carrier's 4G network or has NFC if your needs are the basic ones. To conclude - Yes MOST people do run on a 2 year contract with their carrier to get a phone of their choice but MOST people don't change their phone model after those 2 years, just like NOT EVERYONE upgrade or in any other way change their pricing model whenever their carrier launches a new subscription model.

 

[thebizz]

I feel Microsoft made the right choice when deciding to exclude first and second gen devices from wp8. I know it burns but I understand this was done to make the product better. I am just hoping they have a quick time to market I'm getting impatient and wp or ios will be my next platform I just hope they have a release somewhere around the time the next iphone is supposed to release

 

[Bartdog]

I won't rush into phone hw again, not after this experience. I jumped on the Lumia despite the lack of a removable battery or the ability to supplement memory. These were two advantages of the Focus.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[jfa1]

OK, User experience was their new concern. What about all the people who invested money and time into the new hardware only to be told 2 years later, You've been 6.5'd again.

I know it sounds like I'm a hater, but I'm really not. I'll be getting a WP8 device when Sprint brings one out. I'm getting the parts together now to build a new system for when Win8 comes out later this year. Probably won't go tablet though, we already have a couple of droid tablets that suit our needs. It'll probably be a few months after so others can work out the kinks. I just really wish Microsoft would get their act together.

anytime you buy a smartphone you take a chance that the next generation of that device may leave you behind!!!!!!!!! Whether its a WP or Iphone or Gphone or whatever.

As far as tablets and Windows 8, I am waiting for the x86 tablet. I want to have my bankruptcy filing (windows 7(hopefully windows8 capable) on the tablet so Ican take it to meetings and court with me work while I am waiting and check on documents in meetings or for hearings etc. I am hoping I can get all the offiice 13 and theb consumer stuff on the same tablet.