Possible retrenchment from MS

[AccentAE86]

Just got an android phone. Hate it, but at least there is support. It's a bad sign when the people like us, who are willing to live through a tortured playing field for love of the platform, are leaving. If we are leaving, then nobody else will be willing to try. I just hope they have some kind of trump card waiting to be used to win the game in the near future. Because I'm really not enjoying android.

 

[mutant 9]

Their recent show of support for consumer devices and services has me looking to move platforms. I had a band 1&2, canceled, w10 mobile canceled. My wife had an issue with her 950 with Ms complete and she had to go to 3 ms stores to find one that had a windows phone in stock. I had an issue with my 950xl and had to go to another state to find a store that had a hp elite x3 in stock. I Hanes been using groove pass since it was zune pass now that is gone. Was gonna get the HK speaker when it came out but doubt it will see the light of day and now with groove out and the Alexa integration of Cortana I see no benefit to a Ms speaker.

I purchased a Nokia 6 a few months ago and like the battery life apps and access that Android brings. But don't love the UI or its inability to read texts in the car. I loaded it up with Ms services Outlook, office, groove, Cortana Bing etc. Now I think I will only keep outlook and office and get rid of the rest. No benefit over Google services, less integrated than Android services and not as well supported.

Trying to figure out when the best time to retire my HP Elite will be. Just got it a few weeks ago but with the recent announcements by Gates and Nadella I feel stupid using it. Why should I use it when the CEO and President do not.

I was listening to an interview on NPR with Nadella and he said he regretted focusing on new offerings and completely abandoning current user base instead of building a bridge to bring them along. I think this was in reference to WP. Hopefully they will reassess their position in the consumer space soon as it appears their current actions are killing all momentum and good will they built up over the last few years. They need to do something to stop the bleeding.

 

[Ojai Weber]

Registered to reply bc this is my exact predicament now. I use my gaming pc rig for all my work related needs (I work from home). Have a pro 3 but need to upgrade bc battery life is horrible. Tried an ipad pro 12.9" but couldn't get any of my work done effectively...but in doing so I saw the glory of ios/osx (bc I borrowed wife's old iPhone 6s). So I tried one last shot at the matebook e but another horrible battery life. That is returned. I am currently pricing out a total transition to mac/apple especially with groove going to Spotify. I use office365 for work...but they have apps for everything else that are superior in many ways on other operating systems. And even there my colleagues are looking to jump to Google Apps for work. Soon, MS will only be a gaming company to me it looks like. It's a shame. They always seem ALMOST there in so many categories only to never meet the potential.

 

[Richard_Indy]

To me, this must be like being handed Divorce papers. Something that I don't want, something I was fully invested in, and the scary thought of how things are going to work/not work together in the future. I have three Xbox One's, Two Surfaces with two different docking stations, Four fully operational windows phones that the family uses with 2 Continuum docking stations, Groove Music Pass, Office365 subscription, SEVERAL Movies paid for through the Xbox service. This is Sad, mad, and angry really

 

[pallentx]

I'm pretty much out. Microsoft is a business company now, like IBM. They still have Xbox and some gaming interests, but I expect over 5 yrs that will be gone too. I like Windows. I really liked Windows Phone, but they have less and less to offer me now as a consumer. I'm interested in wearables and home automation. There are options that support Windows, but its a second class support, and how long will it last?

For now, I have two Windows PCs, but I use them less and less. Most of my time is spent on my Surface, but that could pretty much be a cheaper iPad with better battery life and a much more robust ecosystem of touch oriented apps. Maybe I'll keep one PC going forward for occasional photo video work and a couple of games. Of course at work, I'll be on Windows, but that's not fun or exciting.

It was a good run Microsoft. You made some cool stuff that I enjoyed very much. From Palm-sized PCs to Pocket PCs to Zunes, Tablet PCs and Surface. You just couldn't sell it for some reason.

 

[Axel Ridd]

Articles about dead Windows 10 are not far

 

[Gonzalo Ruiz]

Hi, i from Argentina and sorry for my bad English I have a Hp elite x3 , Surface pro 3, (Nuc with Windows 10 pro) Xbox One S, Xbox 360 Halo 4 ED and Microsoft band 2, but die sadly in workout...
I paid Office 365, paid Xbox Live, EA Access, paid Groove and use Skype to international call and i see what Sadela do and i very angry, i hope he don't kill Xbox To.

 

[BB_Nicky86]

I subscribe to Groove and Office 365 Personal. I have a Windows desktop, a Windows Table (Venue8 Pro from Dell), I've been using Windows Mobile/Phone since Windows Phone 7. There's my Xbox one with Xbox live. I also had a Microsoft Band.

My band broke and Microsoft refunded me within the warranty period because they ran out of stock. My 950xl is feeling more useless as more apps either stop updates or pull out all together and my the final straw is Groove.

At this point I'm ready to give up. I'll start using the iPhone 7 128gb work provided me (used it for a month and I don't like it but Apple supports their products). I'll probably switch to standard office and buy some local network storage for all my photos etc.

My question is, what's the next consumer product to get the axe? Why should I continue to invest in Microsoft if they aren't going to invest in the products we buy and support?

I don't plan on buying the "surface phone" or whatever they will call their ultra mobile device. It will be WAY over priced and they will stop supporting it a year or two after launch. Just another waste of money.

 

[JustinSalvato]

I miss Steve Ballmer.

 

[henilp89]

I lost faith two years ago.. used to be a huge windows phone (nokia lumia) fan. Grew up using Microsoft product.. Switch to Android & macOS last year. I have no faith in Microsoft. They are just not innovating. They are so behind in every category that I care about.

 

[PsychoSuperman]

I hate to see the company fail consumers. There are those that claim that an Enterprise focus is more important, but ever since the iPhone, consumer devices have been leading the way the corporate environment. It's about mindshare, and folding up like this is just sad. Build momentum on one side with Xbox (the One X apparently has decent pre-orders) and Surface, but deprecate you offerings by abandoning the Disney Movie integration, Groove Music, and mobile in general.

Satya claims its about seeing tail lights and never being able to keep up, but the answer is never to pull off the road. Apple was dead, and could never compete with MS in the 90s. If they gave up they would have never seen the success they currently have. Backing out of a business is a cop out, and leaves loyal users without a path to stay the course. I don't expect that Windows Mobile would have been at 20% now, but after the Nokia deal they could have pushed from 3% to 5% in the US. They had double digit market share in some countries.... It was a conscious effort to put zero dollars into marketing and letting the platform completely fail. 5%-10% of 2 billion users worldwide would be 100-200 million users. Hundreds of millions of people could have been using Cortana, Bing, Skype, etc, but that was deemed too much of a monetary drain.

I think MS really needs to split like HP did and have a cloud/Enterprise team, and a consumer focused team lead by Panos. Gaining mindshare cannot be an afterthought, it needs to be a focus. If not there is no reason to support this company.

 

[Kaymd]

I think people are just overreacting. Chill out guys.
Groove was not gaining traction, practically no one but windows mobile users knew about the service. Groove's fate is intertwined with that of WM10. Disappointing yes, but that does not mean "oh! MS is dead, Windows is dead!"
For those that compare a Mac to a Windows PC, please always compare equal or equivalent specs. You don't buy a $200 laptop or el-cheapo tablet and expect it to perform as well as a $1000+ Mac or $700 iPad. No OS on earth will perform favorably with such a hardware disadvantage. At least you can get a $200 PC, that price point has actually opened the world to computing we do today. Heck, I even develop Android apps on my 'cheap' PC...
MS is trying to streamline their focus - get rid of very weak ventures and bolster the mid and strong ones. Whether or not this is a good idea, time will tell.

 

[Peter Libbrecht]

Microsoft is the new IBM. All it takes is some great server software from Google or Apple and a generation of kids that have never seen Windows, for Microsoft to loose on the Business front as well...

 

[MacSide]

I am deeply entrenched with Microsoft. I have Xbox One, Surface Pro (2017), Surface Pro 4, and every previous Surface device that I've gifted because of my newer products.

I waited on the Surface Phone, but lost hope after the release of Samsung's Note 8.

MS may come out with a Surface Phone, and I will evaluate at that time. I don't believe (at this time) I will follow with the Phone because of my Samsung Gear S3 smartwatches that I love.

Do I love MS as I once felt about Apple? No. Apple's mantra is to make great products - and they do a good job at it. MS on the other hand is more bottom line focused. They produce solutions that they feel "will do". Excellence is not in "everything" they produce. They often produce products because of market potential, and once in the market will pull out if the dollars are not right.

MS has a ton of products they can do a better job at. One in particular is OneNote. While a great application, there is so much more potential if MS would give the appropriate attention. Outlook is another example. MS's main focus is the Enterprise - not the end user as Apple.

The MS products I have I enjoy and will look else where as the situation mandates. I've left the phone boat.

 

[sinime]

I've lost faith in MS.

Canceled my Groove membership last night, no reason to let them keep 3 months of service fees when I can get it back now and move on with something else.

As a consumer:
Wife and I are going to switch to either iOS or Android (leaning to iOS, but want to see pixel news tomorrow and would like to compare the iPhone 8+ with the X once it's out). Going to make same recommendation to family and friends... Why buy a PC/notebook when you only need a tablet with a fruit logo on the back.

As a developer:
On the developer side, I'll continue releasing small updates, just to keep my developer account active and my UWP aps in the store, but I think I'm done. Going to shift my development efforts to iOS.

As a gamer:
Not sure on Xbox side. I was planning to get a One X in February... but now I'm not too sure. Didn't realize how useless the Forza 7 VIP pass is until after I purchased the Ultimate edition. Don't like where Turn 10/MS is going with these micro transactions. You've already got me paying $100 for a game and now you want to nickel and dime me even more??? And now with the Groove news, can a person really trust digital purchases from MS will be available in the future? Seriously debating picking up a PS4 instead of the One X.

 

[fdruid]

As stated so many times I like Windows and Windows Phone, my personal set up is a 950XL with dock, Surface Pro 4 with dock and this is my tablet/laptop/desktop, an Xbox One as the base for my entertainment system.

I subscribe to Office 365, Xbox Live, Groove, Skype number and subs.

Similar setups for my wife and family

I do plan on buying the Xbox One X maybe just after the holidays. The main reason being 4K, I want to be able to watch 4k through the Xbox One (Netflix etc.) and improved games graphics.

But then I cannot help but see a period of retrenchment from Microsoft products and services for me, this may not come into effect until midway into 2018 as my setup and my 950XL is currently working OK, but come next year I will probably have to jump ship on the phone front.

If I do this, I know I can get MS products, software and services on Android or Mac systems (Already doing this on my work Samsung).

But why on earth would I continue to give MS money for services when the competition is often better, certainly fleeter of foot when it comes to newer ideas. And more importantly integrated to the ecosystem. I currently use Groove because it is an MS product on MS/Windows devices and certainly not because it is the best music player out there. The same would go for most of the stuff I use.

Anyone else planning a period of retrenchment from MS products and services unless MS manage to get their finger out and fast?

I'm not gonna leave, but it's difficult when they seem to be killing important stuff. So I can understand that people leave, though there's still a lot to like in Microsoft services and devices, including mobile.

I find it dreadful that without this 3rd alternative that Nadella deems "unnecessary", the only options for a user are either go all in with a company based on harvesting user information beyond their privacy (Google), or a company that's so closed in their vision that the only thing they sell is exclusivity and consumerism (Apple).

I don't care for Google's policies, and I don't want to be an Apple sheep, having to buy a new phone every year. I like what Microsoft brings to the table in mobile, and I think that alternatives are important and healthy in every system and in life in general.

 

[RHoudek2]

Yes, faith gone. MS is fail after fail. I used to beat the drum that they were best and we should stop using Google, but now I can't. MS has lost my faith. I can't trust Google, so THANKS MS for pushing me toward Apple

 

[FunGuy13]

I agree...Even though I am in a MSFT ecosystem (WP, Surface, Office, Xbox, XBox Pass, Groove Pass, Win10 Touch Laptop, etc.) after 15 years on Windows Mobile/Windows Phone I'm throwing in the towel and will be replacing the 10 Windows Phone my family members are currently using with Samsung Galaxy Notes...the app situation, abandonment of WP, shuttering of Groove, Kinect, etc., etc., shows that MSFT is not interested in the consumer market anymore...I mean Nutella just recently changed his iPhone for an Android...if you go to a MSFT store you will find them selling Samsung Android Galaxy phones...that says it all...

 

[Kaymd]

I think people are just overreacting. Chill out guys.
Groove was not gaining traction, practically no one but windows mobile users knew about the service. Groove's fate is intertwined with that of WM10. Disappointing yes, but that does not mean "oh! MS is dead, Windows is dead!"
For those that compare a Mac to a Windows PC, please always compare equal or equivalent specs. You don't buy a $200 laptop or el-cheapo tablet and expect it to perform as well as a $1000+ Mac or $700 iPad. No OS on earth will perform favorably with such a hardware disadvantage. At least you can get a $200 PC, that price point has actually opened the world to computing we do today. Heck, I even develop Android apps on my 'cheap' PC...
MS is trying to streamline their focus - get rid of very weak ventures and bolster the mid and strong ones. Whether or not this is a good idea, time will tell.

 

[FunGuy13]

I think people are just overreacting. Chill out guys.
Groove was not gaining traction, practically no one but windows mobile users knew about the service. Groove's fate is intertwined with that of WM10. Disappointing yes, but that does not mean "oh! MS is dead, Windows is dead!"
For those that compare a Mac to a Windows PC, please always compare equal or equivalent specs. You don't buy a $200 laptop or el-cheapo tablet and expect it to perform as well as a $1000+ Mac or $700 iPad. No OS on earth will perform favorably with such a hardware disadvantage. At least you can get a $200 PC, that price point has actually opened the world to computing we do today. Heck, I even develop Android apps on my 'cheap' PC...
MS is trying to streamline their focus - get rid of very weak ventures and bolster the mid and strong ones. Whether or not this is a good idea, time will tell.

MSFT has a pattern of abandoning major consumer services...they have no guts when it comes to marketing their consumer products...they innovate (1st tablets, Zune Players, Zune Music, etc.) then give up and give away the market to their competitors...