Switching platforms? | Thinking of leaving?...comment here!

[Kevin Rush]

Microsoft has done that before, i.e. to pay developers for certain apps. After the initial coding, keeping them interested by giving regular updates is the problem. How will you solve that.

There needs to be a money incentive for the developers to update their app. Both the developer and the customer / user have to have skin in the game. Good developers, with good apps, should be able to earn more money by updating their app. I would gladly buy such apps again each year, for an updated version. The paid apps cost so very little now. The apps I don't use very often, I don't care about, or are written poorly, I wouldn't pay to update.

Just an idea.
Best Wishes

 

[Laura Knotek]

There needs to be a money incentive for the developers to update their app. Both the developer and the customer / user have to have skin in the game. Good developers, with good apps, should be able to earn more money by updating their app. I would gladly buy such apps again each year, for an updated version. The paid apps cost so very little now. The apps I don't use very often, I don't care about, or are written poorly, I wouldn't pay to update.

Just an idea.
Best Wishes

The main issue is with certain apps that are free on all platforms, that Microsoft paid developers who weren't interested in building for Windows Phone, such as Instagram. Hopefully the new Instagram won't have that problem. However, the original Instagram Beta never got updated. Users wouldn't pay for Instagram when it's free on iOS and Android.

There are other examples, but that's the one that I recall off the top of my head.

 

[Fel Gate]

As for Me. I'll go for Windows Phone/Mobile. Windows Phone/Mobile is still the BEST for me, I'm not a ******. I even used iPhones and Android but I feel so bored with it.
iPhone/iOS? naahhhhhh. Nevermind, even Millions of people will try to give an iPhone/iPad/anything with Apple. I won't use it even it costs a Million British Pound per iPhone.
Android? naaahhnaaahhnaahhh.. Why you? Why are you so lag when my Storages are near to full? Come on. In every Android Phones that I've used they are all the same as lag as hard as a rock.
I won't buy iPhones or AndroidPhones even if they are the one that were left in the phone age. I will just stick with my Windows Phone/Mobile.
BUT I hope someday or maybe tomorrow Microsoft Windows Phone/Mobile would stand on top of them ALL.

 

[Shane Richardson1]

Apathy from Microsoft regarding Windows Mobile couldn't possibly be more clear. They have stopped putting any effort into it and are waiting for people to just give up. It is Microsoft's evident belief that Smartphones have peaked and are waning. They are very wrong, people are just waiting for something new and innovative. The smartphone isn't dead, it's stagnant. No one is doing anything new or different with them. We don't need to regurgitate old ideas in a new dress! What we want is to be able to fully run our lives from our own private terminal. Smartphones need new vital capabilities and carriers are killing smartphones with limited data plans. Give the world unlimited 5G data and smartphones that can replace all of our other tech and they will boom again.

 

[Will Gilliland]

...They are very wrong, people are just waiting for something new and innovative. The smartphone isn't dead, it's stagnant...

Absolutely! A year ago I went from a Galaxy S4 to Lumia 640. I originally got the 640 because I was intrigued by WM8. I loved it so much I switched and Fast-Ringed it to W10M and soldered in wireless charging.
I was SO looking forward to Surface Phone (since my whole family has Surface Pros). When I say looking forward to Surface Phone, I guess I'm saying I was looking for a premium, solid, device that brought something innovative to the table. I actually figured they would take Continuum to the next level and sell a companion Surface tablet shell that used the Surface Phone in Continuum mode.

...but then Microsoft said 2017 for Surface phone. WHAT! Do they really think Windows 10 Mobile will last that long? Microsoft's development is top-notch. Their corporate direction is odd and their marketing is non-existent.

 

[Tsarli]

I'm not a ******.

 

[Darren Vitarana]

agreed and very well put; the heady heights of EU5 10% are long gone and windows phone/mobile has been abandoned. it's weird huh!? i'd personally say 10% in any market is good given that the difference between it (winph) and ios wasn't as big as you might think... with some clever marketing and solid devices we could have done even better. it's truly baffling how one could drop the ball like this... a reason is that they simply looked at the USA (and maybe Chinese) market share as the key indicator of success and called it a day - typical of a us- centric company i'm afraid.

anyhow after being an MS loyalist (dell venue pro, samsung omnia 7, htc 8x, lumia 930, lumia 950xl) i think it's time to go nexus 6p and call it a day. i'm tired of the whole waiting game of MS to pull something out of the bag. time to put the lumia 950xl into a bag and dispose of it!

 

[jdballard]

Satya Nadella was named Microsoft CEO February 2014. What was the Microsoft Mobile world like before he started? Well here's an article to remind everyone from January 2014: Kantar data shows Windows Phone holding 10% sale share in EU5

Basically, Nadella has crushed Microsoft Mobile with bad strategic and tactical decisions. He thought he could drop Windows Mobile OS and devices, but deliver services on Android and iOS that people would use. He was completely and utterly wrong. People are strongly biased to use the services native to OS.

Nadella's complete failure on "Mobile First":
Microsoft?s Office Being Dominated by Google Productivity Apps on Mobile? - WinBuzzer

So not only did Nadella kill Microsoft Mobile OS and devices, his strategy is killing Microsoft in Mobile services too.

PC's continue to be on the decline, while the area Nadella abandoned (phones) are on still on the rise. Phones are the consumer IT of the present and future. Running to the Enterprise will only protect him until the new Android/Google users become decision makers in companies. Once that generation is in control of the enterprise decisions, Microsoft will be done.

In other words, if leaders of a company use Android phones, Chrome, Gmail, Google, etc. for their personal devices, they will be strongly biased to chose Google services and products (stuff they are comfortable with) for the Enterprises they run. IBM already learned this lesson decision makers chose Microsoft products (stuff they used at home), but Microsoft (and specifically Nadella) didn't learn from IBM's painful decline from relevance.

Look, everyone loved Nadella when he started, but every new CEO gets a honeymoon period, and that takes the stocks to unreasonable heights based on speculation of future greatness. Remember when Mayer took over at Yahoo? However, it is clear to see that Nadella has already made too many mistakes. The stock is starting to slide, Nadella abandoned Mobile, while PC's decline. How long before Google fans become enterprise decision makers, and Microsoft fails in Cloud and Enterprise too? It will take 5-10 years for Microsoft to recover from his 2 year term, and that would be if they fired him today.

The stock is starting to slide? Look at a chart from 2/4/2014 through today. Overall, done nothing but going up. Yeah it, it took a huge dip in April, but it's started moving it's way back up and even during that dip it was higher than when he took over.

He hasn't dropped the Mobile OS - only the devices - and mostly because they weren't selling. Do you really think it would have mattered if people loved the 950 and 950XL style and the OS hadn't been buggy? The answer is no. Microsoft got into the game too late. The lack of apps was too much to overcome. Companies can't justify spending resources on developing for a platform with such a small market share. If I recall correctly (and I'm not going to take the time to look it up), at it's best it never cracked 4 or 5% in the U.S. They were too late to market. Maybe if they hadn't gone so long without releasing new, high-end phones (before the 950 & XL) it might have helped, but I doubt it.

As for the PC decline - that has nothing to do with Nadella - it was going to happen anyway. Unfortunately they were out of the mobile battle race, and retrenching was the right thing to do. Their current strategy was just throwing money away on devices people weren't buying. And the mobile OS still exists and probably will for a while.

I agree with you that their battle for services on competing mobile platforms is going to be a tough battle.

Right now, MS is making the right play: investing heavily in being a cloud provider, providing services and VMs regardless of what OS they're running. That's where the future is and right now I think they're well ahead of Google. In that space, Amazon is their big competitor.

Microsoft has dropped the ball in many ways, but to blame Nadella is ludicrous. Way too early to tell.

 

[MeditatiangAmigo]

I was an Android user for years. I waited patiently for a year or more for Microsoft to release their flagship phones in 2015. When the Lumia 950 and 950XL were released, I couldn't convince myself to spend the dollars they were asking for those phones. They were over priced. So, still wanting to try Windows Phone, I jumped a the chance to buy a Lumia 640 for only $39.00 from the Windows Store (I also bought one for my wife). I figured, if I like it, I can buy a flagship phone in a few months when the prices come down. I got on the insider program and have Windows 10 running on the phones.

We'll prices have been coming down. A few weeks ago, you could get a free Lumia 950 with the purchase of a Lumia 950XL. I almost made the jump. Then I decided that I like my Lumia 640. There is really no compelling reason to upgrade.

I'm looking forward to staying with Windows Phone. I really like the platform. I'm guessing that my next Windows Phone will have to come from a non-Microsoft manufacturer. And, I'm OK with that.

 

[t3kg33k]

I had a Samsung Focus (Win 7.x), a Nokia Lumia 920 (Win 8.x), and an HTC One M8 for Windows (Win 8.x/10.x preview). After getting shafted by HTC and them not wanting to support what is barely a 1-year old phone (or Microsoft's fault, who knows), I was left high and dry. Windows 8.x, after using Windows 10 Mobile, wasn't going to work for me after getting used to and really liking Windows 10 Mobile. I ended up abandoning the platform and opting for a low budget Samsung Galaxy Express Prime with Android 6 Marshmallow. I am not sure if I'll return to Windows on a mobile device at this point or not as I've lost my willingness to support a platform I had supported for so many years. I hate Apple, so Android was the only logical choice after deciding Windows 8.x was not going to work for me. The devices running Windows 10 Mobile right now aren't worth the money.

 

[person of interest]

agreed and very well put; the heady heights of EU5 10% are long gone and windows phone/mobile has been abandoned. it's weird huh!? i'd personally say 10% in any market is good given that the difference between it (winph) and ios wasn't as big as you might think... with some clever marketing and solid devices we could have done even better. it's truly baffling how one could drop the ball like this... a reason is that they simply looked at the USA (and maybe Chinese) market share as the key indicator of success and called it a day - typical of a us- centric company i'm afraid.

anyhow after being an MS loyalist (dell venue pro, samsung omnia 7, htc 8x, lumia 930, lumia 950xl) i think it's time to go nexus 6p and call it a day. i'm tired of the whole waiting game of MS to pull something out of the bag. time to put the lumia 950xl into a bag and dispose of it!

I have a 950 XL (on my second one actually; good thing I got a warranty). My first ever smartphone was the Lumia 925, which lasted me about two years before it finally died on me. Considering how many times it's been dropped on hard surfaces (no case, just little chips and nicks on the edges), I'd say it's an accomplishment that it lasted that long. I bought a L640 to hold me over until the 950 XL came out, and it performed well, especially with W10 installed (still have it as a backup). Then back in February (I believe), I took the plunge and bought a 950 XL because I wanted a flagship.

The first one I got ran smoothly for the most part and it had excellent battery life. Then I dropped it once or twice and it started to have a few issues serious enough to warrant me going to the MS store to get a replacement phone, which I had no problem getting. Now I'm on my second phone, haven't dropped it or damaged it at all, but I'm having all sorts of little nagging issues that individually aren't serious, but collectively create a frustrating user experience that continually tests my patience. Just to name a few:

Issues in Edge:
Broken links (I tap it several times to no avail, so I have to restart the browser to get it to work).
Link directs me to the wrong page: Another one that happens far too often, and I have to restart the browser to get it to function properly.

Touch issues: Too many times during scrolling I end up highlighting text inadvertently. It also happens when I try to tap to open a link, and instead of hyperlinking it highlights the text. Couldn't even do that if I wanted to on purpose.

Cortana:
Misinterprets what I'm saying, even when I'm speaking clearly and enunciating my words.
Getting commands confused: I remember one time I told it to set an alarm and it did a Bing search.
Hey Cortana! stopped functioning. Not a deal breaker per se, but I expect more out of a flagship device with this capability.

Lockscreen freezes or keeps changing back to the default image.

Anyway, I guess that's more than a few issues. As I said, they are relatively minor, but collectively it just makes using the phone such an exasperating experience at times, and my patience is diminishing. I've thought about switching platforms, although I'm undecided which way I want to go should I go through with it. Apple seems to be the more stable platform, but I'm wary of the prices they charge. Android has a nice selection of phones though.

Just a frustrated 950 XL user on the brink of switching, at least until MS puts out a better product.

 

[chmun77]

There needs to be a money incentive for the developers to update their app. Both the developer and the customer / user have to have skin in the game. Good developers, with good apps, should be able to earn more money by updating their app. I would gladly buy such apps again each year, for an updated version. The paid apps cost so very little now. The apps I don't use very often, I don't care about, or are written poorly, I wouldn't pay to update.

Just an idea.
Best Wishes

The main big money incentives are from Android or iOS. Never from windows phones to start with.

 

[chmun77]

Right now, MS is making the right play: investing heavily in being a cloud provider, providing services and VMs regardless of what OS they're running. That's where the future is and right now I think they're well ahead of Google. In that space, Amazon is their big competitor.

This is TOO early to tell as well. Furthermore, Microsoft is NOT the only cloud services player out there. I would say don't pin your hopes too high for Microsoft - because like you said, Microsoft keeps dropping their ball in many ways.

 

[Darren Vitarana]

I have a 950 XL (on my second one actually; good thing I got a warranty). My first ever smartphone was the Lumia 925, which lasted me about two years before it finally died on me. Considering how many times it's been dropped on hard surfaces (no case, just little chips and nicks on the edges), I'd say it's an accomplishment that it lasted that long. I bought a L640 to hold me over until the 950 XL came out, and it performed well, especially with W10 installed (still have it as a backup). Then back in February (I believe), I took the plunge and bought a 950 XL because I wanted a flagship.

The first one I got ran smoothly for the most part and it had excellent battery life. Then I dropped it once or twice and it started to have a few issues serious enough to warrant me going to the MS store to get a replacement phone, which I had no problem getting. Now I'm on my second phone, haven't dropped it or damaged it at all, but I'm having all sorts of little nagging issues that individually aren't serious, but collectively create a frustrating user experience that continually tests my patience. Just to name a few:

Issues in Edge:
Broken links (I tap it several times to no avail, so I have to restart the browser to get it to work).
Link directs me to the wrong page: Another one that happens far too often, and I have to restart the browser to get it to function properly.

Touch issues: Too many times during scrolling I end up highlighting text inadvertently. It also happens when I try to tap to open a link, and instead of hyperlinking it highlights the text. Couldn't even do that if I wanted to on purpose.

Cortana:
Misinterprets what I'm saying, even when I'm speaking clearly and enunciating my words.
Getting commands confused: I remember one time I told it to set an alarm and it did a Bing search.
Hey Cortana! stopped functioning. Not a deal breaker per se, but I expect more out of a flagship device with this capability.

Lockscreen freezes or keeps changing back to the default image.

Anyway, I guess that's more than a few issues. As I said, they are relatively minor, but collectively it just makes using the phone such an exasperating experience at times, and my patience is diminishing. I've thought about switching platforms, although I'm undecided which way I want to go should I go through with it. Apple seems to be the more stable platform, but I'm wary of the prices they charge. Android has a nice selection of phones though.

Just a frustrated 950 XL user on the brink of switching, at least until MS puts out a better product.

Weird thing for me is that I have not had any issues at all with my lumia 950xl - i even got it from the CPW refurb store and cost me ?315. only issue is one that was due to my own mistake - I got a single sim version unknowingly and wanted dual sim!

i've been on production, production release insider ring and currently on slow insider ring. no regular reboots (well maybe once a month - and I'd know if it happened 'cos I have a SIM PIN), no issues that you and others have outlined - I guess I'm one of the lucky ones! (perhaps single sim variants dont have issues - just a thought). the only issue I have is that continuum looks **** on my qhd monitor because the max res is HD/1080.

I'm one of the few that really likes my lumia 950 xl, 'hello' works great (have trained it crazy amounts) and the ergonomics of the whole thing just feels right. win 10 looks great on it's screen compared to my old lumia 930, I couldnt go to a smaller phone.

my issue is that MS have dropped the ball and along with it, the already mediocre versions of official apps will eventually fall by the wayside and get retired. the smartphone was the catalyst for the current app culture and MS have taken away any incentive to develop for it given that they have more or less stated that theyre ditching the consumer market in favour of enterprise - thats a dangerous move because apple and google are continuing to make big inroads into the enterprise, and decision makers are quickly seeing the value in embracing ios and android - especially when they carry one themselves. MS sales reps may convince some really old school luddite CTO/CIOs who run their businesses on crappy old win32 LOB apps, but they're a dieing breed.

Remember the current app culture was driven by the consumer smartphone; by officially bowing out of that business, MS will essentially lose the hearts and minds of the people who make corporate IT decisions. IT is no longer a niche industry run by geeks, the kids who tinkered with electronic toys are now running things and microsoft is being seen as a bit of a dinosaur.

 

[cs2nd]

Enjoyed my 950XL tremendously, bought it at launch. About a week ago I sold it and picked up a Nexus 5X, slapped Android N beta on it, and wow... Android has really come a long ways.

I must comment though, I am in Japan where MS services are just the bare minimal. With Android, I'm once again a first-class citizen on mobile.

I will continue to follow the development of Win 10 Mobile as I have a 925 that is still going strong.

 

[wplee]

my issue is that MS have dropped the ball and along with it, the already mediocre versions of official apps will eventually fall by the wayside and get retired. the smartphone was the catalyst for the current app culture and MS have taken away any incentive to develop for it given that they have more or less stated that theyre ditching the consumer market in favour of enterprise - thats a dangerous move because apple and google are continuing to make big inroads into the enterprise, and decision makers are quickly seeing the value in embracing ios and android - especially when they carry one themselves. MS sales reps may convince some really old school luddite CTO/CIOs who run their businesses on crappy old win32 LOB apps, but they're a dieing breed.

Remember the current app culture was driven by the consumer smartphone; by officially bowing out of that business, MS will essentially lose the hearts and minds of the people who make corporate IT decisions. IT is no longer a niche industry run by geeks, the kids who tinkered with electronic toys are now running things and microsoft is being seen as a bit of a dinosaur.

But they haven't exited the consumer app market at all.

1) Universal Apps are simple for developers already building for Windows 10 (desktop) it's a no brainer. With Windows 10 already installed on 300 Million+ devices there's a fantastic opportunity for new app developers. Facebook said recently simular things - that they cant ignore such a large user base and also for Instagram/Whatsapp. Also remember universal doesn't just mean Desktop or Mobile but other devices such HoloLens, Tablets and Xbox etc. Smart developers also know Microsoft will be coming back next year with something big *coughsurfacephonecough*

2) Microsoft's own app offering on iOS & Android is Huge and very popular. No consumer thinks Microsoft have walked away. Ironically it is only old Windows Phone users that feel left behind.

I really wish people understand that yes Windows Phone is dead BUT Windows 10 Mobile is alive and healthy with a bright future. Yes it is sad for us who stuck with Microsoft over the years but we cant look back. Do you think Google care about Android Ice Cream Sandwich? Always move forward...

 

[Gekiganger]

Maybe he has another hidden phone, that's why your son still has his in good conditions.

Well maybe he likes to read Manga or watch anime on his phone, that is where at least Android is lacking in apps compared to Windows. I made the switch recently (and reluctantly) and have yet to find a reader as good as Manga blaze.
Weird, huh?

 

[libra89]

Well maybe he likes to read Manga or watch anime on his phone, that is where at least Android is lacking in apps compared to Windows. I made the switch recently (and reluctantly) and have yet to find a reader as good as Manga blaze.
Weird, huh?

Not weird, sometimes 'niche' things are exposed when you are making the switch.

I didn't realize how hard it is to not have the one app that gets me through the week on W10M (Windows Phone in general, really). It annoyed me enough to move from Windows 10 Mobile back to iOS.

 

[jdballard]

This is TOO early to tell as well. Furthermore, Microsoft is NOT the only cloud services player out there. I would say don't pin your hopes too high for Microsoft - because like you said, Microsoft keeps dropping their ball in many ways.

I never said (or even implied) that they were leading or going to win in the cloud provider area. I simply said that they made the right move getting into that business. So far it's going well, but yes, time will tell. Amazon is leading and probably their biggest competitor. Google is behind both MS and Amazon and it's one area where MS has a lead on Alphabet/Google. Sure, they could screw it up, but so far they've done well.

 

[leggettv]

I will not go back through the long list of problems. From this site alone you can clearly see them. I have been a Windows Phone users for three years. Yes I bought into the Hype of the new flagships and Windows 10 mobile. I was a day one supporter. Over this past 14 months or so the experience has been a complete disaster. Microsoft has no idea what or where there are going. We paid over $600 to be basically Alpha Software/Hardware testers. Today its Beta at best. Microsoft has now cut the line and liquidating the market. Just go back and look at the Keynote for the phone and Band 2 launch. They have lived up to none of the hype. Production Ring, Slow Ring, Fast ring??? It is clear we are not valued and I for one will not pay premium prices to be treated as nothing more than a Alpha/Beat tester.