[Damion Chaplin]

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

The Professional version is riddled with things like tiny "OK", a Start menu, and other aspects of a Desktop computer which are jammed into a device with a 3.5in screen at most. It just doesn't work and needs to be redesigned from the ground up, user interface wise, to make it more user friendly.

Actually, it does just work. It may be a little annoying to have a tiny OK button, but it does work and you get used to it. I mean thousands (millions?) of people use it every day. Could it be more user-friendly? Sure. Could it be more iPhone-like (since that's what we're really talking about here)? Again, sure. Do I personally care whether people mistake my phone for an iPhone? Definitely not. Do I need a dumbed-down interface for my phone? Again, definitely not. Windows Mobile works for me and for many many other people every day.

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

The feature set coming out in the Cupcake update is amazing for only a few months time work. Granted the above features have been a part of Windows Mobile for years, but how long did it take Microsoft to get around to putting those features in?

You know, I've seen this argument a lot, usually referring to Apple's release of updates. And I'll use the same comeback here: Sure, MS took a while to add those features, but seeing as how WM has been on the market for some time, I personally think that Apple and Google had absolutely ZERO excuse for not including these features in their phones in the first place. Who cares about frequent updates if they're just adding features everyone else's phone already does?

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

Also when Microsoft did add those features, were you able to get an official ROM from your carrier and update your device while still keeping your data... or even update your device with an official ROM at all without buying a new device?! Better yet has Microsoft ever been known to release such a major update to their mobile operating system less than 6 months from the release of the previous OS?.

Another argument I've heard before. And I will counter with: "How many average users will care about upgrading their phone?" How many people do you know that are still using the same original phone they got in the 90's? A lot. So maybe you're not talking about the average user. Power users like you and me know that if we want a WM phone that's upgradeable, we need to buy an HTC-made phone and visit XDA developers. Could Microsoft improve in that department? Definitely, but I don't believe it's a deal-breaker in the real world.

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

This is why Google will continue to excite people with the Android platform. They quickly push out updates in a few months where it would usually take Microsoft over a year to push out a similar update with such a large feature set.

Again, we're talking about updates that should have been in there in the first place (really, stereo bluetooth?). Show me Android actually innovating instead of playing catch-up and I'll gladly revisit this conversation.

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

Are we going to have to wait several years after the release of Windows Mobile 7 until we see Windows Mobile 8?

Who cares? if WM7 is all it's cracked up to be, we won't be looking ahead to WM8. How many happy Vista users are actually looking ahead to Win7? Very few. And before you say it, how may happy Vista users there are at all is a different question.

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

Are we going to be able to update old devices? Will updating still require a complete destruction of the information on my device?

Again, only power users like you and me care about this sort of thing. And even I don't care so much. Apple users will just buy a new iPhone like they would any other new iPod that hits the market.

Originally Posted by Rocco Augusto

These are all serious questions that I feel Microsoft ignores that need to be addressed if Microsoft wants to continue to compete in this arena.

Let me be clear here: I'm not disagreeing that MS needs to get off its collective butt if it wants to compete against the G1 and iPhone. I just don't think the reasons you state are concerns of the public-at-large. WM6 could technically be 'fixed' by skinning the entire OS (similar to TouchFlo, but more).

Could WM be made more useable to the masses? Sure. I think, however, that MS would be smart to market WM devices to power-users only and forget about luring people away from the iPhone (or G1). Most people who use an iPhone have never used another smartphone in their life to compare it to. Their main competitor should be the Blackberry, not the iPhone. Windows Mobile units are devices meant for serious computing, not texting and playing MP3s and they should be marketed as such (IMO).