Is Microsoft Listening?

[Nokia5110]

If I cannot use contacts on my sim without going to la la land then they maybe listening, however I doubt it. Been toiling.

 

[ITmanagerNC]

My original post was a response to me having to go though the 4 OS updates on my 1520 to get back to where I wanted to be BECAUSE I'm an insider. Microsoft wants us to help, it would take very little effort to make our lives a lot easier.

I agree that Microsoft has to do what is financially sound in many other areas but Insiders are the passionate people with ideas.

 

[meattray]

My original post was a response to me having to go though the 4 OS updates on my 1520 to get back to where I wanted to be BECAUSE I'm an insider. Microsoft wants us to help, it would take very little effort to make our lives a lot easier.

I agree that Microsoft has to do what is financially sound in many other areas but Insiders are the passionate people with ideas.

Yeah I strongly agree with this. They have not made it simple at all to go back to production builds or other things. It should be an extremely simple step that anybody can do even without much technical knowledge.

 

[anon(50597)]

I'd agree in that while there aren't any new devices directly from then they are consistently updating the software. That's a plus I'm itself. It at least allows your older hardware to still run some newer programs.

Hopefully things will clear up over the next while with their full plans.

Agreed. I'm not emotionally tied to a platform like some people are, so I am able to enjoy the constant updates and use the platform for my needs. If it ever gets to where I don't like it, ill leave for something else. Don't see that happening any time soon.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[Efjay D]

I don't think Microsoft can do anything. They provided the phones and the tools for developers, it did well in countries like mine, but the focus continually was on the US and a domestic lack of apps. They can't force carriers to carry them, they can't force companies/services/banks to make the apps. The US is too locked into Google and Apple. Then you have the 'fans' constantly wanting the impossible. People demanding a flagship when the OS wasn't ready, when they caved and released flagships, people complained, they complained at the coloured shells, the black and white shells, the lack of a metal edge etc. Then another group constantly asking over and over what Microsofts strategy is, they'd spell it out in simple English yet the question was repeated over and over and over and over. Then others wanting this mythical Surface Phone, the solution to all woes, then others saying switch to Android - yup, how's that working for Blackberry? And all the while as everyone plays this great tug-of-war with Microsoft trying to please everyone but utterly failing, the critics, the media and even the fans are wailing about Doom! and the death of the platform. Every Windows Phone forum, discussion group etc has the same stuff over and over "Are they listening?" "What's the strategy?" "Where's the Surface Phone?" and "Windows Phone is dead!".

Microsoft are damned if they do, damned if they don't. I sold my 950 for a cheap Android phone because I got sick of the whole thing, I HATE Android and iOS in equal measure. I am desperate for another Windows phone but I think this Samsung thing is not a good sign for consumers.

 

[sd4f]

I think that what MS is doing is probably the smart thing in terms of a business. One of google's strengths has been that for a long time, their services and products were device agnostic. They lived in a browser which by and large didn't matter what sort of device accessed it. The only reason they started to move into software and phones was because they needed that sort of clout to make sure others don't maneuver around them and put them into a corner.

I think MS is just changing strategy and retreating to that sort of agile position, where they just make sure that their products are available to as many users as possible. After all, I don't think they make money from windows phone, so should they care where their users are? There's millions and millions of devices out there, and if people can't use MS' offerings, they'll go to a competitor.

Now what does this say about windows phones? I get the feeling that a surface phone is completely pointless now. What can it possibly bring to the table that would compel users to adopt it in enough numbers to get users and developers interested?

 

[mymarcio]

My perception is that they don't care enough.
1) Hardware / Software Problems: Phone once in a blue moon freezes when receiving a text message, most troublesome part is that if sound is on, sound will stay stuck in the middle as well like pliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- until rebooted. If set to vibrate, it will just keep vibrating until restarted. There's other issues but the lack of commitment to release firmware updates shocked me. Reboots happen more frequently when using the camera. I envy so much users who state "Mine has been a flawless experience"
I also use an iPhone occasionally (and their apps also crash, so it's not like I have a flawless experience on other devices either, but the frequency is much smaller.)

2) They seem to be focusing so much on the next generation of hardware, software that they forget about the present. They have always been a "let's bank on the future" company. They were leading with touch, stylus and other neat features way before their time. When people finally accept them, they move on to the next best thing that the masses don't quite understand or see how they can apply in their lives.

3) Mobile right now is really easy for them to update and to keep in line with Desktop. It's probably not just as easy as 1 button press but the amount of coding has been reduced and once they are able to get ARM devices, I think they will have a much simpler deployment path and will start focusing on more features then.

4) They are also not interested in small numbers. After all some of their devices that the fans loved they killed as failures only because it didn't catch on the first year. They don't market well and expect people to have awareness. It takes around 3 years for a business to get traction after being introduced unless of course the device/service is disruptive.

Right now my phone does everything I need but I think the perception my friends and family get is that the device is less than polish. The reason this happens is also microsoft's fault. The photos/camera aspect should be the one thing they have prioritized in getting right. Their picture quality is amazing, but having to wait for a picture to load in the camera roll for more than 30 seconds or sometimes having to close the app and get back in to refresh it really gives for an amazing demo when everyone asks "let's see!?" Even when pressing on the little square from the camera it will sometimes display "file not found".

Great way to inspire confidence on people who don't own the product.

 

[Whodaboss]

No Metro design. No Photo Hub! No Me Hub! No Rooms! No Kids Corner! No meaningful Groups! No great Camera! Hamburger menus! Pivots almost gone! I could go on but needless to say they aren't listening to me. And lastly No $14.99 music package where I could keep 10 songs for life! Listening? Was this suppose to be a joke?

 

[Tankor]

They are listening , they will be selling the s8/s8+ with Microsoft customization at their stores soon. Microsoft has finally delivered the surface phone !!!!!

 

[M Logan X]

Judging from the lack of comments here from the faithful, it may be sound the death knell of our beloved phone OS. These baby steps that Microsoft is taking is ridiculous. Getting tired of seeing other phones demonstrating features that we already have but MS fail to advertise to the masses. It's really disappointing for many of us.

 

[techiez]

The lesson I'm learning here is not to invest my valuable emotional energy into fantasizing about what could be, and the potential of Windows on phone (or even Windows in general).

Leave the fantasizing part to Jason Ward

Forget abt features, they are not even fixing the bugs which are long open. and for a long time WC kept on supporting MS like Dan saying RS2 will be mobile focussed, now he no longer promises anything on MS behalf. The writing on the wall is clear they dont want to announce that mobile is dead, they want it to die natural death.

I get the feeling that a surface phone is completely pointless now.

We dont even know if it is in works still, only WC talks abt it but MS may have shelved the project already.

I don't think Microsoft can do anything. They provided the phones and the tools for developers, it did well in countries like mine, but the focus continually was on the US and a domestic lack of apps. They can't force carriers to carry them, they can't force companies/services/banks to make the apps. The US is too locked into Google and Apple. Then you have the 'fans' constantly wanting the impossible. People demanding a flagship when the OS wasn't ready, when they caved and released flagships, people complained, they complained at the coloured shells, the black and white shells, the lack of a metal edge etc. Then another group constantly asking over and over what Microsofts strategy is, they'd spell it out in simple English yet the question was repeated over and over and over and over. Then others wanting this mythical Surface Phone, the solution to all woes, then others saying switch to Android - yup, how's that working for Blackberry? And all the while as everyone plays this great tug-of-war with Microsoft trying to please everyone but utterly failing, the critics, the media and even the fans are wailing about Doom! and the death of the platform. Every Windows Phone forum, discussion group etc has the same stuff over and over "Are they listening?" "What's the strategy?" "Where's the Surface Phone?" and "Windows Phone is dead!".

Microsoft are damned if they do, damned if they don't. I sold my 950 for a cheap Android phone because I got sick of the whole thing, I HATE Android and iOS in equal measure. I am desperate for another Windows phone but I think this Samsung thing is not a good sign for consumers.

Comeon dont give MS a way out, what was their strategy in simple english? it was "Retrenchment". what happened to the releasing of limited yearly phones, 1 budget, 1 highend etc

 

[muvig]

As long as Microsoft cannot get (or mandate) its staff - especially the developers - to use its mobile platform (even as work-only phones), they'll never be invested enough to resolve the problems with the platform.

I once said this long time ago, sure how can they listen when they are using other platforms?

 

[nate0]

They are. The internet and forums do not do them much justice though. From my viewpoint as far as mobile phones go, Microsoft has the unorthodox approach. They are a huge outfit and to balance out all their assets equally to me would seem quite near impossible. Remember how slow the crawler-transporters move the space craft to their destination. Microsoft is alive and kicking all over. We just can't really see it from our perspective. Maybe they have not yet swung the weight in our direction again just yet.

 

[kapil Matta]

Microsoft doesn't care for windows phone users anymore.
They can release and upgrade a software for android/iOS, but not for us.
The circle shaped one handed keyboard for iPhone?

Microsoft lost hopes too early on windows phone.
Windows Phone was loved by its fans, and had a niche following.
Apple used to be a niche name till iPhone came. But they always kept their fans in mind.

 

[muvig]

I don't think Microsoft can do anything. They provided the phones and the tools for developers, it did well in countries like mine, but the focus continually was on the US and a domestic lack of apps. They can't force carriers to carry them, they can't force companies/services/banks to make the apps. The US is too locked into Google and Apple. Then you have the 'fans' constantly wanting the impossible. People demanding a flagship when the OS wasn't ready, when they caved and released flagships, people complained, they complained at the coloured shells, the black and white shells, the lack of a metal edge etc. Then another group constantly asking over and over what Microsofts strategy is, they'd spell it out in simple English yet the question was repeated over and over and over and over. Then others wanting this mythical Surface Phone, the solution to all woes, then others saying switch to Android - yup, how's that working for Blackberry? And all the while as everyone plays this great tug-of-war with Microsoft trying to please everyone but utterly failing, the critics, the media and even the fans are wailing about Doom! and the death of the platform. Every Windows Phone forum, discussion group etc has the same stuff over and over "Are they listening?" "What's the strategy?" "Where's the Surface Phone?" and "Windows Phone is dead!".

Microsoft are damned if they do, damned if they don't. I sold my 950 for a cheap Android phone because I got sick of the whole thing, I HATE Android and iOS in equal measure. I am desperate for another Windows phone but I think this Samsung thing is not a good sign for consumers.

Some of the complains are genuine, MS removed HERE Maps, and they have a tendency of removing features that users have never complained about.
Instead of putting an option to enable a text reply to a missed call, they chose to change contact pictures from square to circles. they are concentrating on cosmetics instead of fixing the real issues. Why giving Cortana to everyone on other platforms but forcing W10P to change regions

 

[envio]

Every mobile reboot that Microsoft has initiated since 2010 has had good intentions coloured with poor execution, mis-understanding of the market, bad timing and, (in the early days) lack of clear communication. I think Micrsoft hears a lot of complaints and useful feedback but only listens and takes action where it fits their underlying strategy.

Let's take the early days of WP7 as an example. I remember the tremendous amount of feedback and earbashing that Microsoft received over its decision to axe Avtivesync client (USB sync). This would have provided some sort of bridge for WP7 users looking to port over historic email, contacts etc from their WM6.5 devices to WP7 since there was no direct upgrade path and no direct migration path either. Microsoft's only official repsonse was, create a Microsoft Account and sync email/Contacts from the PC to the cloud via a PC-based Hotmail connector for Outlook and then sync back down to the phone, assuming you wanted to redirect email and contacts to a Microsoft Account in the first place.

What Microsoft didn't say directly was that it no intention to provide any sort of USB-based sync because its strategy was entirely focused on moving users to cloud based scenarios and there would be no turning back. So any "listening" it did would be around improving the cloud syncing elements, not local sync. It didn't help that they were late to the mobile party with a limited OS with so many features from WM6.5 missing, had few willing device partners, slow-to-burn carrier relationships etc etc, they just ploughed on anyway. That's just one example.

 

[Neill Baldwin]

Microsoft doesn't care for windows phone users anymore.
They can release and upgrade a software for android/iOS, but not for us.
.

Yeah, and now they are going to have their own Microsoft version of Android's top phone, the S8.

 

[Cloudius Elvis]

Let's face it... there are not many of us left, comparably, to the global mobile community. We test, we send feedback, we deal with the highs and lows but we are faithful. I just got a replacement 1520 for my failed one... and I have an 830 and a 925... oh and a HTC 8x too.

I'm tired of the endless upgrades to get back to the OS version I want... and I can't imagine it would be very difficult for Microsoft to implement two improvements:

Running WDRT, provide a list of up to date base OS options common to that device so we can install that version directly.

Being able to create a manual backup which is not susceptible to being overwritten. Allow us to name it from the device and control it's characteristics (read only, baseline, etc) in Onedrive.

I know I'm not the only one who bemoans the these tasks when getting a new device or resetting because of an issue with a new build.

I also realize Microsoft is extremely interested in the upgrade process to ensure customers get the most reliable experience but I guarantee you there is no value in OUR endless upgrading a vanilla device from 8.1 --> 8.1.1 --> TH1 --> RS1 and soon --> RS2.

I have submitted these in the Feedback hub, lets hope they are still listening.

 

[Starboy21]

No i dnt think they r listening n if they r then they shud reply to all those articles n news on the web stating windows mobile is dead well yes there r very few users but still they r addicted to windows n look at Microsoft every build comes with bugs do they even test it themselves n now they r joining Samsung and plus all those apps on ios n lagdroid wow if they r going to leave WM then they shud at the least send a msg stating we r done with WM now u may plz drop the OS but no keep quiet n release apps n support ios n lagdroid...itzz time for MS to leave ios n lagdroid giv WM users some hope make a new lumia a flagship which kills ios n lagdroid n focus on advertising..

 

[Daniel Stevenson Sutton]

There are some occasions where I can see real changes happening, but what annoys me is when they fail to deliver on promised functionality. For example, in the teaser trailer for the anniversary update they hinted at Call hand off's and machine, does not exist; they hinted at a timeline view for exploring files and content, I have seen it once, in the iPad version of Sway. They suggested deeper Cortana interaction with Ink...only half way there. I am not saying these things wont come...but I would almost rather they didnt show us things until they were close to delivery. Or keep them in the vision videos.