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Originally Posted by alex_kac
As a Windows Mobile developer for 7 years and also an iPhone owner (through my wife), I can tell you all that stuff is great and for someone like you its really good. But a normal user simply has no patience for setting all that stuff up.
The truth is that people I know who are tech geeks are simply tired of all the customization, hand-holding, and so on that is required to get a Windows anything (Desktop Windows or Mobile Windows) device to work as well as a Mac or iPhone works out of the box. I can name quite a few engineers whom you would know as top Windows Mobile developers who use iPhones now exclusively. I can tell you that my wife has used every kind of phone from a RAZR to Symbian Series 60, to WinMobile PPC and Smartphone - and the only the device she has ever loved was the iPhone. And that is with me helping her set things up.
So it matters not what you can in the end do. All these devices are programmable - they can do it all. Its the interface, the design, and how things work consistently.
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I guess we look at it from a different angle. Did I mention that my background is a finance/investments, not a high tech? And I can assure you it wasn't that difficult to install ActiveSync, connect my device to a PC, few clicks and it was ready to go. Customization is the other story, and it is not a technical difficulties, but number of different options available. I went thru handango, pocketgear, and few others, read reviews, blogs, to find something that I could use, and also my phone could handle without freezing and lagging. And it is not a bad thing, I can say. It just people so used that someone else think for them, that they forget that they have brains too.
And as for you as a developer for WM, I can say that instead of complaining of all the imperfections of WM take the opportunity and cash in on it! That what I would do, if I see a profitable situation that others overlooked, I would take it without hesitation. But that's me, and thats financial fields. In high tech I've noticed completely opposite trend. If someone comes up with a good idea that takes off, others jump on a ban wagon, making the same thing with a few differences, "customizing it" so to speak. And no wander. The Greatest success in the field - Microsoft made a killing ripping off someone else's thoughts - let's see: Netscape vs. EI, Palm vs. WM, just to name couple. But now, it looks like Steve did the Job on Billy the Gates. Kicked his behind in his own game. Took all the experience form years of mobile device development by MS, Palm, and others, improved it for average user's needs, made it simple, finger friendly, and sold it to us with a big bang. If you remember when first Windows CE devices came out big selling point by MS was that it is just your regular desktop, no need to learn hoe to use it, it's just that simple. But back on a subject of WM development. I know there are really talented people out there that can do miracles with all those codes, C#, C++, Java and what ever is there. If you out of ideas, make something that anyone can use! Let's say make WM more finger friendly, I know HTC try to do it with its "Touch", I don't know how successful they are, I don't use HTC, but I did try SPB's Pocket Plus and it sucks. That "smart scrolling" is not that smart at all, and the using of "X" button is too complicated/ I don't want a whole menu there, I want 2 that's two separate buttons, one to minimize and the other one to close an application, It's that simple, just like on a desktop. Another useful thing would be if you could make a hack for conference camera so anyone could use it with VOIP such as Skype. And don't tell me it is impossible, iPhone lock was broken over and over again, with every upgrade and attempt to relock by Apple. If there is a will there's a way. And if there some stupid patent laws that don't let you charge for that, there's always a donation, and people can be very generous. Remember, that 16 y.o. boy who broke iPhone lock first got Nissan and 5 iPhones. Not too bad for a kid.