I think the WP platform has some major gripes. The lock screen is another classical case. I love the fact we have a new toy, but bear with me. First off, the current issues with the platform as a whole. One is the functionality gap. MS was eager to patch this, and they have fixed a lot of missing functionality (that IOS and Android have had for years on end) with 8.1. However, this was a rushy job, so they decided to release this ASAP using the name "Dev Preview" to stop people from complaining about missing functionality and to keep themselves from having to play even more catch-up later on. From the way it was released to end users using the DP functionality, they presented it as a early form of the final release, but named it just right. Name it beta so people won't whine about the rushy job and all the bugs still in it. Name it developer so people who complain can be pointed out by other users of the platform that this update was "intended for developers so it is bound to have issues" - even though MS hinted time and again that it was sort of an early released version for everyone to get a feel for the actual, final product..
Another gripe was the lack of apps. They have tried to counter this by reducing time that it takes to get an app past store certification. This way, apps get approved quicker and existing apps can be patched waaay faster. They claim to have found a way to speed things up a lot. And by a lot i mean, reduce the certification time from several days to several hours. Without compromising quality they say. And security. Well..
Killerwp | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)
What about this then? Lol. I have seen apps that actually have Android (!!!) screenshots in the store, and after installation lead users to a place to download an APK. A lot of reviews under the app warnign other people that the apps is a scam, a ripoff, nevertheless, it is still published. Seriously, Microsoft? Why don't u have a "Report a problem with this app" button on your store? Come on, these things are just common sense. Anyway, the certification speedup, another rush job. Again, in the best interest of the company itself ("we have a lot of apps! Look at the numbers!") rather then in the best interest of existing customers. My 2 cents.
So, they seem to be rushing things to keep press (covering new phones) happy (no more missing functionality = more sales) and releasing beta software that is going to be patched "later on" to keep current users from whining too much.
They do seem to be forgetting that you can't bring out quality products if you keep on releasing buggy beta software and keep on screaming "give it some time, it'll all get better!" You might get new customers this way by handing out promises, but chase current customers away to competitive platforms which already offer the same functionality, but in a fast and stable implementation. They will not be getting the "It's a beta - live with it!" treatment. People do get tired of waiting.
I do like how they are trying to make the OS modular so individual components can be patched more easily, but one of the major pros of the WP platform is undoubtily the speed. All the apps that were changed from 'integrated in the OS' to 'individual patchable apps' seem to have performance and/or stability issues now, be it the Xbox music app, or the new lockscreen. Biggest problem: quality issues. Where integrated apps were running OK, they seem be faulty after being changed to individual app. So, i'm wondering; is this idea was actually again something that is in the best interest of end users, or in the best interest of the company itself.
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