Zero Discussion of Mobile at Build Keynote

[jdballard]

Keynotes reflect priority. It is clear W10 mobile is not one.

Terry Meyerson said as much today. They're definitely retrenched in mobile and hoping to define a new category at some point in the future (the way they did with Surface ) with continuum and whatever else they can dream up as well as hoping that the Universal app strategy starts to pay off. It'll probably take a few years, and they may not achieve it, but I suspect that's the goal.

 

[TheZuneLune]

It's not that most of us were looking for 10 minutes of time, we were looking some sign of true commitment that would refute our suspicions. We got the opposite.

Sadly, I pulled the plug and ordered an S7 Edge tonight. I may come back when and if MS gets it together, but they way they have treated customers leaves me little incentive.

I think Joe Belfiore probably needs to remain on sabbatical if they want to revive the platform and they need to pay the bucks to hire someone who can get developers and the largest US mobile network on board.

I realize everyone thinks that universal apps are the answer, but I don't agree. It's one more platform to have to maintain and companies do not see the value.

 

[tgp]

Sadly, I pulled the plug and ordered an S7 Edge tonight. I may come back when and if MS gets it together, but they way they have treated customers leaves me little incentive.

It sounds like it will be at least a year until we see much more in Windows Mobile. And who knows what will happen then? Even if development does take off, we could be looking at another year until we see any measure of parity. By then, your S7 Edge will be two years old and it will be time to think about replacing it anyway. It's all good!

I think Joe Belfiore probably needs to remain on sabbatical if they want to revive the platform and they need to pay the bucks to hire someone who can get developers and the largest US mobile network on board.

I doubt whether there were ever any plans of Belfiore returning when he walked out the door a few months ago. I think the sabbatical was a diplomatic way for him to leave.

 

[T Moore]

Tell me again that the platform isn't DOA?

The platform is not DOA

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm very curious to see what Alcatel has to offer for the higher dollar amount.

Isn't Alcatel a budget phone company like BLU?

 

[Guytronic]

Isn't Alcatel a budget phone company like BLU?

Mine sure is

I was thinking of the new rumored "Super Phone" from Alcatel running Windows.
Forgot it's proposed designation.

 

[RumoredNow]

I was thinking of the new rumored "Super Phone" from Alcatel running Windows.
Forgot it's proposed designation.

Funky Unicorn?

 

[cracgor]

I really think there best effort is to just making their current services the best (W10, Office, Xbox, cloud computing) and work on developing some future innovation that will be hard to live with out. They should abandon their offerings that they don't have any traction with like Windows Mobile like they did the Kin. Windows Mobile's updates 7 to 8 to 10 have been about as good as the transition of Zune to Groove.

This site can sometimes take bad news and turn it into a Windows Mobile is NOT Dead article. Windows as a Services (or WaaS ~ silly acronym) does not mean that W10M or W10 are not OSes. It means that you have to pay a subscription for everything now instead of just owning the software. The WaaS also means you don't have to own a Windows Phone to participate across the ecosystem...you can do just fine on Android or Apple.

 

[Guytronic]

Funky Unicorn?

That's it!
Tanx

 

[TechFreak1]

I watched the keynote and wasn't there a Skype demo on Windows Phone?

Granted it wasn't THE highlight, Hololens and the new "conversation platform" was as more and more people become accustomed to using their voice to do more. As well as becoming reliant on context sensitive services which brings Cortana to another level albeit in a limited number of countries.

Hololens is the next BIG thing and they want to make sure it gets a healthy start so by the time consumers get their hands on one it already has a rich ecosystem. Along with ensuring Windows stays relevant within the Developer community going forward.

Finally, there is the quick preview off the xbox 1 controller connected to a display dock:

www.windowscentral.com/hands-windows-10-mobiles-upcoming-xbox-controller-support

 

[Kram Sacul]

You really can't blame MS for not mentioning their own platform. It's like bringing a corpse to a party.

 

[tgp]

I watched the keynote and wasn't there a Skype demo on Windows Phone?

Reports are that it was a simulation. It was actually the desktop Skype app transposed on a Windows Phone. I wasn't watching closely enough to notice, but others caught it.

Here is part of a thread from Reddit/r/windowsphone that talks about it.

 

[TechFreak1]

Reports are that it was a simulation. It was actually the desktop Skype app transposed on a Windows Phone. I wasn't watching closely enough to notice, but others caught it.

Here is part of a thread from Reddit/r/windowsphone that talks about it.

I saw it and what are you trying to say it was being run over remote desktop?

Also what version of the skype desktop app?

Without concrete facts I would personally be skeptical of such remarks and reddit isn't a viable source :evil: - nothing is without concrete and undeniable facts.

 

[chuckdaly]

The platform is not DOA

You don't have to lie to make friends.

 

[tgp]

I saw it and what are you trying to say it was being run over remote desktop?

Also what version of the skype desktop app?

Without concrete facts I would personally be skeptical of such remarks and reddit isn't a viable source :evil: - nothing is without concrete and undeniable facts.

I have no idea. I do not use Skype, so I do not even know what the desktop app looks like, or the UWP app, or the mobile app. I'm simply passing along what I'm reading. I did use the disclaimer, "Reports are..." Go ahead and check it out yourself.

It's not like simulations are never used in demos.

 

[Krystianpants]

For the record, I'm not saying I agree with that view! I'm saying that Microsoft might think that.

Looking at it realistically, throughout the keynote HoloLens, Xbox, and IoT were often mentioned as part of the Windows 10 Platform. Mobile wasn't.

The 950/950 XL were made for the "Fans" as this has been stated many times. I can tell you that MS will improve continuum features for these phones and other things, but the real focus will be on their spring lineup of phones that are supposed to be their big push into "mobile". And I do put quotes on it because it does not necessarily mean a plain phone, it could be a more advanced 2-in-1 with superior continuum. And of course everything before it will just be there and can get the apps. Likely a lot of phones won't be able to take advantage of many new features.

So for the fans is sort of like saying "here's something to hold you over while we make the real stuff". And that's just what they did. Why do you think they don't care that 50% of the devices won't get windows 10? They will only care about their future spring line up. And any phones with continuum. the 950/950xl is also being used by them to collect data on continuum to make the OS better. They know that fans are more likely to join the insider program. It also gives them some relevance in the mobile segment. But as the shares dwindle their expectation is to create new categories like with the surface line.

I sort of regret buying the 950xl. The push for features for continuum is way too slow. Summer is a long time to wait to get a few features. And I think build does need to push continuum. It's an interesting features, and if that's where their future is going it should be mentioned. A lot of apps can be deployed for mobile/desktop but they won't support continuum by default. So while I have a lot more apps in continuum, i'm still forced to RDP as not all my apps are available nor do I have good alternatives.

 

[anon(6078578)]

Mine sure is

I was thinking of the new rumored "Super Phone" from Alcatel running Windows.
Forgot it's proposed designation.

Ah that'll be the Alcatel Idol 4 Pro.

 

[midnightfrolic]

Misdirection is a magician's bread and butter.

I wouldn't say there's absolutely zero mentions. It's just misdirection. Continuum works on Windows 10 Mobile last I checked. There's mention of more development for Continuum (e.g. XBOX ONE game pads working in Continuum, mutitasking). UWP. Project Centennial? Maybe all this work is to improve on Windows 10 Mobile and we're just seeing the bigger picture. A lot of this stuff are more for developers and backend stuff. MS is catering to developers to have them develop more stuff for the Windows ecosystem, which in turns helps their Windows Mobile platform also. As I see it, all this stuff works together and helps Win 10 Mobile. Hand-off feature ring any bells? Azure and OneDrive?

 

[paulxxwall]

Sure it's not dead but lying in bed @ hope hospice . So sure it's not technically dead but barely alive with only hopes kinda like those in hospice all they have are hopes and prayers but most don't make it. Was a cna for about a year.

 

[rocketboy]

To be honest, in 2016 all the phones are more/less alike except to the diehards in the various camps. The point is that smartphones in their current form are a mature product at (or nearing) commodities except for maybe the highest end.

No one but Apple or Samsung are making money. As much as it'd be nice to have more alternatives, there isn't much need relative to the cost save to satisfy us loud fans. What else could MS have done without having spent the billions on the Nokia purchase? The waste is staggering.

I'm one of the "all-in-MS" people (WP, SP4, custom PC) but if MS doesn't do mobile again for a decade but when they do it's a complete game changer I'd be up for that. And I mean a real game changer. Like iPhone was in 2007. Anything short of that releasing yet another glass slab phone seems like a waste of resources. There's just no point. I hate the idea of only having Android or iOS, but my interest in phones as a gadget may have died with WP (yeah yeah not dead). If the next phone I get isn't WM then I'm just going to go with a commodity mindset and reserve my geek zeal for other things.