Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

Kaushik Dash

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

I think OP speculates correctly. Even in India they advertise the Lumia 630 with Windows 8.1 instead of Windows phone 8.1
 

chezm

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

While its makes sense to refer to just Windows, it will cause confusion for the public. However with that said, if its that drastic of a change (it literally doesn't look like it does now with tiles but another form ot design) it will make sense as its no longer the same...if this does happen it will be interesting.
 

Jazmac

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

While its makes sense to refer to just Windows, it will cause confusion for the public. However with that said, if its that drastic of a change (it literally doesn't look like it does now with tiles but another form ot design) it will make sense as its no longer the same...if this does happen it will be interesting.
While I don't agree they will call this just Windows, I do agree that by doing so, it will only confound the market Microsoft is going after, mid to low end. But if this is the choice coming out of India, we just have to wait and see how they sell the idea. Maybe they did market analysis and this is the best course for the location they plan to address first. Not the US but India.
 

a5cent

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It's cool because it unifies all of MS, but it will be cool only if those really are almost the same systems, not just look-alikes.

Except they won't be the same systems at all. One OS will be used on phones and tablets, the other on desktops and laptops. Both will share the identical WinRT runtime environment and APIs, but that is the extent of the similarities. It's best to think of one being a subset of the other, but they will definitely not be the same.

All OSes will run "Windows Store Apps" (another ridiculous name), but tablets and phones WON'T run WINDOWS programs.

In summary, the OSes will not be the same, they won't all run Windows programs, and on touch enabled devices you'll never see a UI component anyone would call a Window.

Yeah, calling them all "Windows" is a great idea. /s

The tech press will act all confused, and 90% of the population won't understand whether a particular windows device can run their windows programs...

I'm not sure this is really what's happening though. It sounds too strange, even for MS' marketing team.
 
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snowmutt

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

Call it... Fred. Full name- Fred O.S.

Honestly, Surface OS sounds catchy. I like it. Keep "Windows" for the PC/Laptop/Full function Tablet OS, Surface OS for phones and the current Windows RT line.

By the way- WIndows RT is my nomination for the worst branding ever and the tipping point for all this confusion.

No need to rename Bing or XBOX. Those brand names are well known and unique.
 

chezm

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

No need to rename Bing or XBOX. Those brand names are well known and unique.

With that said, maybe it would be better to just call it Xbox mobile, or Xbox phone. ya I'm not a fan of the name, but it would draw in a large younger market.
 

Jazmac

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

With that said, maybe it would be better to just call it Xbox mobile, or Xbox phone. ya I'm not a fan of the name, but it would draw in a large younger market.

You mention younger market and it is really an interesting point. Microsoft has been in our lives for so many years, its name is ubiquitous with names like your local power company, gas company, Southwest Airlines, hell, your mobile carrier for that matter. Not too many feel love for either like that but we put up with them because we have to. That said, can Microsoft have that kind of appeal to a younger crowd like Galaxy and Iphone are? Can Microsoft ever be that level of "cool"? Yes Windows Phone is very good but could Microsoft ever reach "cool" status?
 

MaxyBley

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

This is interesting. I don't really think they would go on calling it that. Because somehow they have to differentiate the phone version and the PC version.
 

jojoe42

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

I don't understand all the fuss about people who say "oh, people will get all confused because they won't know whether their version of Windows will run their windows programs"....why? x86 machines can run apps from the Store, given the fact that the next version of Windows will have a unified kernel and OS underneath, only changing the UI it seems that XBO, WP and Windows devices can all run apps from the Store. The only confusion I can see is if people get confused about wanting to run .exe files on the ARM version of Windows, and even then Atom processors are catching up - I'm starting to see more and more entry-level tablets running Atom processors instead, so I'd imagine MS might do something similar with the next Surface. And seriously, no-one can expect their Windows Phone to run an old .exe file, nor the XBO. So they could get away with naming the next version "Windows".

However, I think just calling it "Windows" by itself is a little confusing - "Which version of Windows are you running?" "Windows." "No, which version?" "WINDOWS!". Windows 9, Windows One (a little iffy) I don't mind really....as long as it isn't called Bing Windows....that's pretty bad
 

TechFreak1

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

I can see it now... the average joe and the self pro-claimed tech bloggers alike calling it Windows Mobile.. I mean some still have a hard time distinguishing "Windows Phone" and "Windows Mobile". This branding has a major caveat, Windows phone does not run your standard x86 / x64 application and can be perceived as miss selling by the average consumer expecting run full blown photo shop on their 6" 1520.

You cannot create a selling point on a technicality, it is similar to including storage space of a built-in wardrobe on a floorplan as habitable space in a sales brochure. (Although it is usable space but it is not livable space therefore must never be included as it skews the price per sq ft of the property and has other legal ramifications).

Also I have been hearing rumours that MS will do away with yearly updates and will update the desktop windows on a monthly basis with features therefore negating a Windows 10 release. Which make sense as they already do this via patch Tuesday, the x1 is currently updated monthly and the surface line is somewhat updated monthly. I doubt we will see monthly updates for windows phone though, however I could be wrong :p.
 

a5cent

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This branding has a major caveat, Windows phone does not run your standard x86 / x64 application and can be perceived as miss selling by the average consumer expecting run full blown photo shop on their 6" 1520.

Keep in mind that the incompatibilities are not primarily due to hardware (x86 vs ARM).

Above someone mentioned Atom tablets, but even these will not be able to run x86 based Windows programs on tablets or phones. Why? Because the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets) lacks all the functionality related to the windows desktop. Actually, it lacks almost everything that was part of the Windows OS for the last 20 years. That is easily demonstrated by looking at Windows RT which is a 7GB install, whereas the next version of WP will still require just a couple hundred MB, similar to iOS and Android. That is important, because requiring 7GB has made it impossible for Windows RT tablets to compete with Android tablets on price.

That is the fundamental difference between the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets), and MS' current tablet OS which is just normal Windows without the ability to install desktop apps. Those are two completely different things, with or without x86 support.

Being two completely different things justifies having different names IMHO.
 
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wuiyang

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

windows 10 should be Windows One (like XBox)
 
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jojoe42

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

Keep in mind that the incompatibilities are not primarily due to hardware (x86 vs ARM).

Above someone mentioned Atom tablets, but even these will not be able to run x86 based Windows programs on tablets or phones. Why? Because the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets) lacks all the functionality related to the windows desktop. Actually, it lacks almost everything that was part of the Windows OS for the last 20 years. That is easily demonstrated by looking at Windows RT which is a 7GB install, whereas the next version of WP will still require just a couple hundred MB, similar to iOS and Android. That is important, because requiring 7GB has made it impossible for Windows RT tablets to compete with Android tablets on price.

That is the fundamental difference between the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets), and MS' current tablet OS which is just normal Windows without the ability to install desktop apps. Those are two completely different things, with or without x86 support.

Being two completely different things justifies having different names IMHO.

iOS takes up a couple of gigs of storage alone ya know, not a couple of megabytes. I really hope they don't cut out the desktop on something like my Surface - I spend half my time in the desktop on that thing.

And technically Atom tablets can run x86 programs, it just depends on how MS implements it.
 

jojoe42

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Keep in mind that the incompatibilities are not primarily due to hardware (x86 vs ARM).

Above someone mentioned Atom tablets, but even these will not be able to run x86 based Windows programs on tablets or phones. Why? Because the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets) lacks all the functionality related to the windows desktop. Actually, it lacks almost everything that was part of the Windows OS for the last 20 years. That is easily demonstrated by looking at Windows RT which is a 7GB install, whereas the next version of WP will still require just a couple hundred MB, similar to iOS and Android. That is important, because requiring 7GB has made it impossible for Windows RT tablets to compete with Android tablets on price.

That is the fundamental difference between the future version of WP (that will also run on tablets), and MS' current tablet OS which is just normal Windows without the ability to install desktop apps. Those are two completely different things, with or without x86 support.

Being two completely different things justifies having different names IMHO.

iOS takes up a couple of gigs of storage alone ya know, not a couple of megabytes. I really hope they don't cut out the desktop on something like my Surface - I spend half my time in the desktop on that thing.

And technically Atom tablets can run x86 programs, it just depends on how MS implements it. Pretty sure they won't completely cut out the desktop from Windows, even on tablets
 

a5cent

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iOS takes up a couple of gigs of storage alone ya know, not a couple of megabytes. I really hope they don't cut out the desktop on something like my Surface - I spend half my time in the desktop on that thing..


Ehm, no, but granted, iOS is by far the fattest of the three. It occupies about 1.4 GB. That would be 14 hundred megabytes, and I did say hundreds of megabytes, not just "a couple megabytes" as you've falsely implied.

You are likely refering to the fact that to download, unpack, and install iOS requires about 3GB of free storage space, but that is irrelevant in this context.

WP clocks in around 400 megabytes. AOSP Android can be even smaller.

The point is, again, that these are all much leaner and cheaper to accommodate than a full blown Windows/RT installation of 7GB or more.

Finally, I never said MS would cut out the desktop on your surface (Pro). Such devices will continue to ship with full blown Windows, just as they do today. Completely different topic. However, MS will completely remove it from the simpler Surface (non Pro) tablets... they already kind of have.

And technically Atom tablets can run x86 programs, it just depends on how MS implements it.

Technically, yes. So? Again, that is completely irrelevant to my point.

I think your reaction kind of proves how refering to both OS' by the same name would just confuse people.
 
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DoctorSaline

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

But atom can still run full windows(including desktop mode).

Just imagine an atom based phone which has desktop mode disabled by default but when attached to a dock at your working station, bingo! You have a full working PC. You can attach accessories through docking station. About that internal memory, you could always use 64gb internal. Can this be the next surface phone? Possibilities are endless if MS could just hurry it up.
 

a5cent

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

Just imagine an atom based phone which has desktop mode disabled by default but when attached to a dock at your working station, bingo! You have a full working PC.

That is definitely possible, and I think it would be awesome.

However, just to be clear, that wouldn't run the merged Phone/RT OS MS is currently working on.
 

twint7787

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re: Windows Phone to be renamed just "Windows"?

Like others have said. Windows 9 Mobile is fine. You could also say Windows 9 Phone. Either way its cool
 

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