[smartass1379]

I have ditched Microsoft Ecosystem and have jumped over to Mac and Apple products. People who don't feel the love have two options 1. Stick to Microsoft and continue to be disappointed or 2. Jump ship to something that is going to make you happy. Unfortunately, Microsoft is not a consumer oriented company and to be honest I much prefer my Macbook Pro than my Surface Pro 4.

[Jean Camilo]

YES! Because of the forgetfulness of Windows Phone I am being forced to use Android. THAT'S INHUMAN!

[ChrisHistorian]

Kinect has to be seen in the overall context of which it was created.

Both Sony and Microsoft tried to imitate the Wii and hope their devices sold as fast as the Wii. Both corporations eventually learned what many gamers (including me) who purchased a Wii quickly learned. Other than a few launch games and party games like Just Dance, the Wii became everybody's second or third console, behind their PS and/or XBox. In other words, the technology was a gimmick rather than something long lasting. Sony killed motion controls for the PS3 before Microsoft axed Kinect. It can be argued that even Nintendo is getting away from the motion control gimmick because the Switch is clearly not designed to optimize motion controls.

As Windows Phone, the argument seems to always be "they weren't marketed correctly!" The iPhone still gets people to line up on launch day and the first Android phone (HTC Dream/T-Mobile G-1) beat Microsoft to market by about two years. Microsoft threw buckets of money at Windows Phone over the past seven years and consumers decided they didn't want them. It's irrelevant whether the devices or the OS were better than iOS or Android. Those two platforms established brand loyalty well before Microsoft. Brand loyalty matters, especially with iOS users. Microsoft didn't have much chance with Windows Phone in the first place.

As for Grove, again, it doesn't matter whether the service was superior to Spotify. It launched in 2012, *six* years after Spotify. What Microsoft attempted to do is to get Windows and XBox users to use Zune/Grove/XBox Music when in fact the customers who used a streaming music service were already using one that they liked. The same incorrect "marketing argument" that's used in support of Grove can also be made for Tidal, and should he be dumb enough to launch it, Kanye's rumored streaming service "Yeezy." Tidal's probably going to go out of business sometime in the first half of 2018.

The complaint here really is about the fact some consumers saw their devices/services they liked get axed. That happens! I don't like the fact a majority of people obviously don't want 10-13" e-readers with stylus support so the Sony device ends up costing $900. That's not Sony's fault. The market just doesn't agree with my tastes so I have to pay more to get what I want or adopt a "this a good enough" position and get something different that does some of what I want.

[David Parody]

Ive just swapped to Pixel2 from my beloved 950XL as the eco system was not providing the apps I need to work, installed MS Launcher on Android and does a good job but not the same and after forsaking Google Assistant for Cortana I now find myself putting Google Assistant on as my default .... why Microsoft, why have you shunned me?

[Geminus]

Microsoft is becoming a solely enterprise company would be a more accurate description of what Mr. Nutella is attempting to do.

[Geminus]

And what do you think generates the profits shareholders, myself included BTW, love? Customers!!

[Geminus]

You start a company as a private enterprise; if and when it grows and becomes a successful one you can go public and have shareholders if you decide to do so. If then you change your mind you do as Michael Dell did it: buy back the shares on the market.

Bottom line: it is not true that "there is no business without shareholders" and besides Dell, Cargill and IKEA just to name some are proof of this.

[Geminus]

These is the same thing that people were saying when Excel and Word were launched in a World dominated by Lotus, WordPerfect and QuattroPro… nothing is written in stone.

[TgeekB]

“This is quite simply, the most important post here.”

Well, I wouldn’t go THAT far.

But seriously. Agreed on the age thing. Once you get a little bit older, things like what phone you use and where you buy your coffee tend to lose significance.

But all of the drama, all of the wailing here. Like the whole world revolves around what “mobile ecosystem” you use. People “standing their ground”. Others claiming “if there are no more Windows Phones then I am done, I will get a flip phone”.

Uh huh, right. If I can’t get a G.E. stove, then I am done cooking. Does that make ANY sense at all?

This is the whole point of competition. The planet is awash in phones and stoves. If you can’t find one of either that you like, then you simply aren’t looking hard enough.

It does make for entertaining reading though.

[Snapperlicious]

I have ditched Microsoft Ecosystem and have jumped over to Mac and Apple products. People who don't feel the love have two options 1. Stick to Microsoft and continue to be disappointed or 2. Jump ship to something that is going to make you happy. Unfortunately, Microsoft is not a consumer oriented company and to be honest I much prefer my Macbook Pro than my Surface Pro 4.

Fortunately, people have a lot more than 2 options. It's sad that you think you only have two. Here's the issue, and I think it's the issue for many of the people on here. I don't like the way Apple treats their customers either. They force you into all their overpriced products, because they don't want to play nice with others. Yeah I get why they do it from a business sense, but that doesn't make it ok for me. I choose whatever allows me to stay as open as possible, so I continue to have choices. I left Apple a few years ago because I didn't feel they provided me choices. They choose everything for you whether you like it or not. You want an apple watch with an android phone, tough, you want an iPhone and iMessage on your PC, tough. I have a mix of brands and products, it all works well together, and I am not missing out on anything. I have an Android phone, Android tablet, multiple Windows PCs, Sonos for music, Echo voice assistants, various online services, and it all works well together. The best part is I can replace any one of these products at any time if someone makes a better product for me.

People need to stop trying to be loyal to companies that only want to be loyal to themselves. Companies like to provide a false sense of loyalty to keep you around, but all they really care about is how much money you give them. That's fine with me as long as I have a choice on who to give my money to.

[etphoto]

I have said this in a different thread but I just feel like MS doesn't want me as a customer. Its as if they see me buying one of their products and to chase me away they end up discontunie that product.

[Christopher Lavergne]

Zune, then Groove. Microsoft Band then Windows Phone. Ugh. What is next? I hope not XBox video. Since I was forced to move to Android I keep waiting for an app. No app is shaking what little faith I have left.

[davidewart]

Get excited about Microsoft's rumored new developments? Let me see. I got excited about and bought: Surface RT, Band, Lumia 930 Windows Phone, Groove Music Pass. So, um. No. Mixed Reality? Foldable Always Connected Thingy? If MS is still supporting the 4th iteration of these things, maybe I'll look at it then. But meanwhile, I've been forced over to Android and am not using Outlook - it sucks. Not using Arrow launcher. Not using Skype. Only using OneDrive because that is where all my files are. But who knows when MS will drop OneDrive, and I'll have to make one more transition.

[realwarder]

I guess time will tell whether they are making good or bad decisions. While we feel bad about the lack of mobile especially, and don't feel that they are pushing their innovative technology and are letting others walk away with entire new markets, time has shown that technology changes rapidly and they have a lot of cash to innovate so are far from dying as a company. As a developer, it has been even more demoralizing than it has been for consumers... the lack of consistency, quality and apparent commitment to a frequently changing vision is very frustrating. But times are changing and we have to move with the times. There is some truth to the cloud first vision where OS is less important, but we're only starting to get there.

Time has shown that we should simply enjoy new technology as it comes along from different companies that are big for a season. Getting too centric around one company will always end up in disappointment despite our natural emotional attachments. Enjoy life, enjoy technology. Enjoy freedom and choice.

[Victor Harshman]

It's been a long run trying to keep convincing myself that Windows mobile is special and telling family and friends that my phone can do the same things that there's can but I must say I'm throwing in the towel finally.
I've enjoyed being one of the few running this UI and have had numerous people come up to me and ask me what kind of phone I have, so it's been fun. I even used to go into AT&T stores and strike up conversations with the employees about Windows phones and they would tell me nobody uses those phones anymore and that I should get a Android or IPhone. Then I would take out my Icon running preview builds of Win 10 and proceed to walk through all the cool stuff this phone could do like OneDrive, Office 365, Cortana ,One Note, Groove, then I would log onto their computer with my Microsoft account and show them how all these services synced form my phone to the computer in front of them and they would be blown away by how cool this phone really was.
I'm one of the last diehards left but I think now is the time. I just bought a new car and have come to the realization that there is no Microsoft car play and there never will be and that's the deal breaker for me; as much as I have bashed Google for years I am going to have to succumb to getting a Android phone which to be honest seems kind of liberating. I will finally be able to get those apps that I've been wanting but just weren't there for Windows phones and with all of Microsoft's apps and services now on Android I wont be missing much.
I'm still somewhat optimistic about the Surface phone but I'll wait and see, I think it's too late now
and the Windows store is just to far behind still no apps.
I think the one thing I'll miss most is finding kick *** phones like my Alcatel Idol 4 S for 99$.
Good luck to all the fans

[Nayden]

Have you watched the movie Like.Follow.Share (2017)? Why someone would waste money on marketing in case the product is already dead? Interesting to know

[PhilBE]

Stop being defenders (been there) and enjoy using it while it last, if it's no longer there move on to other things that you can enjoy. Personally i have L830 till it dies and then we will see what is on the market. If MS has something to offer on that moment and I like it, ill be all in again

[Nayden]

As I am a former Nokia user since the dawn of cell phones, I have decided for myself, and if let's say WP is completely done tomorrow morning, at noon going to have Nokia 8

[mvierling]

What Microsoft (read Satya Nadella) fails to realize is that the younger generation is being raised on Android, iPhones, and iPads. Schools are requiring iPads for students, not computers. Kids are starting to grow up never having to use a Windows computer. When they eventually transition to the workplace, they're going to be demanding Macs and iPhones, not anything Microsoft. This is the path we're on and it will take a monumental strategy change from Microsoft to alter paths. Nadella is too focused on cloud "anything" to think about anything else. Microsoft is headed to be the next Novell which is truly ironic since Microsoft is what caused Novell to be irrelevant.

[naddy6969]

“Schools are requiring iPads for students, not computers.”

I have news for you. An iPad IS a computer. It’s just not running any Microsoft software. I realize that most folks here think “computer” is defined as a WinTel PC with a mouse and a keyboard, and anything else is a toy. But that is a hopelessly outdated view.

Current phones have more power than “PCs” of 15 years ago. 6 and 8 core CPUs with 4GB of RAM and a 64 bit OS? PCs were nowhere near that 15 years ago.

Plus the fact that a 4GB iPad will run circles around any Windows device with 4GB. 4GB on an iPad is a LOT. On Windows it is the bare minimum.

Time to get out of this myopic mindset of what a “computer” is.

[jj25usa]

Microsoft is dying, if they don't get their Apps sorted out they will be dead in 10 years. There isn't a Dev shop out there that hasn't said if it doesn't run on Edge just download Chrome. Also how many people have heard it's not available on Windows only Android or IOS. Microsoft might live but in ten years they will be missing a few legs and maybe even an arm or two if they don't start making more apps.

[fiveaces01]

Nadella was formerly head of the Cloud division. It only makes sense that he would prioritize those services and despite his proclamation that "mobile first" was a priority he has failed to live up to his promises

[omarkazi]

Microsoft knows how to focus now under the new CEO. I love the rapid development of Windows 10 OS for laptop/tablet/pen/Dial/VR.
Groove was great but MS should invest in Spotify and integrations for ease of use.
Kinect is really hard to develop for and 3D cameras are now mainstream from Intel on laptops.
MS band 2 was great but MS should invest in Fitbit and develop new features.
Microsoft is really improving its mobile apps on Android and iPhone and I LOVE IT !
Going in the right direction, IMO.
Go Microsoft !

[Shobiz]

I read this article a week and ago and brushed it off. Today, I agree with the OP. Last weekend, I got an iPhone X. The quality of the Microsoft apps on iOS was jaw-dropping. I couldn't believe the polish on those apps when you compare to the same apps on my Lumia 950. Unacceptable Microsoft!

[fatclue_98]

When they eventually transition to the workplace, they're going to be demanding Macs and iPhones, not anything Microsoft.

Come again? Demanding? God, I hope and pray one those little snots comes to me with those "demands".