Well, with Apple they have a ridiculously easy job because they have one form factor, one screen resolution, etc. With Google, we're actually starting to see them have the Microsoft problem - there are some updates for Android that aren't coming out for all phones...I think the new HTC Sense for instance isn't coming for all previous Android phones, only some of the newer ones. So HTC is bringing the same problems they have with Windows Mobile to Android...
One thing to note, though, is that Apple insisted that they retain far more control of their device and platform than carriers were ever giving to anybody else. Part of that was they knew they had the power to do so, leveraging the popularity of the iPod, but Cinguar/AT&T gave Apple far more control of what their device would and would not be allowed to do on their network than any carrier had given to any other phone platform. Unofficial stories are that Apple approached Verizon first with exclusivity but that Verizon was unwilling to cede that much control or allow anyone not to have an icon for Vcast on their phone (a joke, sort of.)
When Microsoft and their OEM partners were first pitching smartphones based on PPC/WM, I'd think they did not have this leverage with the carriers; they were merely trying ti get the devices into the stores with subsidized pricing. I suppose it's possible that Microsoft would have enough leverage with carriers to do so if they sold their own branded devices directly, but I imagine that the likelihood of this is not super high.
The whole process is impeded by the carriers. Instead of taking care of their customers, they'd rather have them buy new phones. So they have customers unhappy with expensive handsets, that whine until they qualify for a new one.
I had a Samsung Saga on Verizon, and they finally coughed up the update to unlock the GPS. Unfortunately, they messed with other stuff. The process to do the upgrade was awful (I've installed both upgrades and cooked ROMs on Palms) and the first one bricked, but they replaced it. But the phone was incredibly sluggish after that.
I was a Windows Mobile user and programmer for years, but I gave up on it this summer. While I enjoyed the flexibility and customization offered by the platform, I became disenchanted with the lack of bug-fixes and OS updates. Further, while you could buy a device with the latest and greatest new hardware features, most applications were designed for the "standard" platform and did not fully utilize the hardware. I now believe that the entire concept of the OS being developed by MS, then customized by OEMs, and controlled by the carriers, is a flawed model.
I now own and program an iPhone. Although I teach C, C++, and C# programming courses on Windows professionally, my personal computing is now Apple. Yes, I paid the "Apple Tax" when I made the switch this summer. But then again, many people pay the "Lexus Tax" when they choose to purchase a higher quality vehicle. I've had almost 3 decades of MS OS's, and now I want a device that works well. I rarely need to connect the iPhone to the Mac, MobileMe keeps everything up to date without the nonsense I've had trying to use ActiveSync over the years.
So now my "hobby coding" is in Objective-C, using XCode, and either Cocoa or Cocoa Touch. There are many "remarkable" similarities between .Net and Cocoa. Recall that Cocoa is really the NeXTStep class framework, which was developed in the early '90s. If fact, all of the Cocoa classes are prefixed with NS...
The downside to the iPhone is the controls placed on it by Apple. On the other hand, it works VERY well, and the hardware IS utilized by third-party developers. A locked platform also reduces security threats, and software piracy. I've watched companies like RedShift struggle to survive in the Palm and WM world, while 90% of their software "sales" were pirated. Despite the many shortcomings of the App Store, from a developer's perspective, the software is tested, signed, and cheap, discouraging piracy. The shopping experience is pretty good, and updates take place automatically.
Obviously I'm watching Android closely, and may start coding for that platform. Unfortunately, Android has the same marketing model as MS, Google develops the OS, OEMs customize it...well, you get the picture. Yes, Android is open source and free, but then again, MS only charges about $10 per device for WM. Then there is Palm with WebOS...applications must run in a browser. Sounds like Apple in 2007.
One thing to note, though, is that Apple insisted that they retain far more control of their device and platform than carriers were ever giving to anybody else. Part of that was they knew they had the power to do so, leveraging the popularity of the iPod, but Cinguar/AT&T gave Apple far more control of what their device would and would not be allowed to do on their network than any carrier had given to any other phone platform.
Absolutely - there was SO much hype about the iPhone, Apple went around to the carriers and basically were looking for whomever was willing to be the most submissive to Apple's will, and AT&T won that contest. Let's face it, there was never a phone more hyped than the iPhone, so no one other than Apple could have brought a carrier to its knees. And it paid off handsomely for AT&T.
Apple helped pave the way for a good, tightly controlled end to end experience - and I think (I hope) with Windows Mobile 7 Microsoft is going to start to flex their own muscles to try and own the customer experience similar to what Apple does.
__________________ Want to contact me personally? Use this. Want to read my personal blog? Check it out. Want to follow me on Twitter? Here you go.
I don't quite follow you. The version of Windows Mobile that Microsoft hands off to the OEMs simply would not work on your device until the OEMs do their driver work and other low-level stuff. The working version of Windows Mobile that you have on your device is a combination of Microsoft and OEM/carrier work, so even if Microsoft wanted to, they couldn't release the OS directly to the public without significantly changing the way the OS works (which I think they need to do...we're talking hardware abstract layer, etc.).
It seems to me that you not only follow what I say....... but agree with it too. :-)
The way MS originally conceived the WM OS is the cause of the problems they are dealing with nowadays.
MS came out with a business model that heavily relayed on hardware manufacturers in order to shift the burden of "mantaining " the OS to HTC, LG etc.; in the US we have a further layer of complication which is the Carriers stronghold on the local market but this is a relative and regional issue because the US are not the most important and less than ever most profitable market for mobile phones.
When Palm collapsed MS, almost magically, became the only alternative to Nokia but.....
they completely missed the opportunity to leverage this sudden power and push an OS that would have been basically hardware agnostic to the hardware companies.
Doing that they paved the way for Apple first and Android later to become serious players in the mobile market.
It seems that exec's forget the lesson's learned by the very space they fill when a competitor falls - how and why the were able to fill that space wasn't necessarily a better concept but do to the mis-steps of that competition's leadership - their failure to LEAD.
MS can simply shrug their shoulders and remind us all that they are only a software company. While that may work for desktops and laptops it never works for small, highly integrated devices like the smartphone or PDA.
I too was a long time PALM user, switch to MS, had an iPaq, then a Dell and the on to the phones and was pleased to see how MS was starting to lead the charge. But then, like out of the blue things stalled and the cracks started to show...
HTC is the best thing that ever happened to MS and it's not because of their hardware but because of their skin over the standard UI. Finally someone was "getting it". But that was only the OEM and not the carrier. UGH! Yet another level to fight through.
Finally the iPhone came - and I watched. I switched to the Blackberry Storm because of work (Lotus Notes - ugh) and was surprised to see how well things worked and at the reliability of the device compared to my numerous Windows Mobile devices. Just this year, I too paid the "Apple Tax" and will never look back.
Apple's control over the hardware AND software has created a stable platform with a great UI. Sure there are things I miss with the Window Mobile, but I'm not frustrated and performance is excellent.
MS never had the lead - they had the hype and they could have built on that but let's face it - they were never committed.
[QUOTE=ucfgrad93;714578]For the last year or two Apple and Android have been getting all of the press and attention. It is going to be very difficult for Microsoft to reclaim that.
Microsoft has already lost me - I got and Android this year and I'm going to keep it because it upgraded itself this morning.
Microsoft has already lost me - I got and Android this year and I'm going to keep it because it upgraded itself this morning. But I am sorry to say good by to PPC Thoughts.
You never know what sites we'll be launching in the future, so maybe we'll have one in line with what you're now using.
__________________ Want to contact me personally? Use this. Want to read my personal blog? Check it out. Want to follow me on Twitter? Here you go.
I'm currently rocking a Samsung Jack, which I won't even bother with the upgrade to WM 6.5, because the non-touchscreen WM 6.5 is a bad joke. Fortunately, I bought this phone on November 5, so I hope AT&T releases the BlackBerry Bold 2 before my 30-day trial is over, so I can exchange my Jack for a Bold 2.
I want my anti-iPhone to be an efficient device, and Microsoft has really dropped the ball. In the meantime, BlackBerries keep getting more apps, they have a consistent way to select text and to navigate the system, they have a clipboard that works across the board - heck even the iPhone got its clipboard before non-touchscreen Windows Mobile.
So I'm leaving WM for good, and probably not coming back since WM7 promises to be another iPhone-wannabe and I'd rather have an efficient, productive device than one that tries to look cool.
I put it to you that the many volunteers who cook custom ROM images for users prove that it is not really beyond Microsoft's powers to release OS upgrades for end users directly. Sure, there are a lot of devices, different screen resolutions and button layouts. But if solitary, part-time hobbyists are able to re-invent existing ROM versions to suit alternate devices, it seems a bit of a stretch to suggest that only the relatively vast resources of a major OEM could do the same.
I think this deserves a little rebuttal. While it is clearly possible to create an upgraded ROM in a kitchen sink, it still must be customized for a particular device, if I'm not mistaken. I mean, I don't think I can grab a custom ROM for an HD2 and load it on my Pure to get the Sense UI goodness, and expect it to be stable. That means there are hobbieists creating cooked ROMs for many individual devices. If MS were to do this, they would have to do the same, create an image for each and every device available, or have some process to decide which do, or don't, get updates. Beyond that the MS 'releases' would have to be solid (or at least no worse than retail). While many of the cooked ROMs are outstanding, there is never any implication of warranty. In fact disclaimer is the watchword.
Return on investment must also be considered. Hobbyists are free. MS coders, managers, testers, marketeers, etc. cost money. Beyond the benevolence equity that MS would get out of providing the upgrades, I don't see the return in a tangible form the stockholders can get behind. Sure, you might avoid ticking of the X% that know they are using WM, and that there is a new version, and they are not getting it. Does that however offset the Y% that would have bought a new device, but didn't need to because you gave them a 'new' one. So, you have to decide on whether to spend your money making folks that already have your stuff happy, or trying to create something new that will pull more consumers in, and drive the old guard to upgrade. There's a balance there.
On a side note, getting upgrades for free has it's own issues. Take iPhone for example, since that model is oft tauted for their upgrade philanthropy. Have you noticed how the web is a-buzz with the things that don't work anymore after an iPhone update, until the hackers figure out how to crack (jailbreak) the latest version? Did you notice that the only perceptible new feature of one of the recent updates was that Palm couldn't access iTunes anymore? Apple updates are as much about retaining control of the platform as they are to benefit the consumer. Beyond that there is a decent amount of capability in the 3.0 software upgrade that requires a 3GS as opposed to just a 3G. So Apple isn't completely beyond the 'buy a new device to get the latest stuff' philosophy.
So personally, while I would love to get every new release of WM free from MS, I have learned not to expect it, have come to terms with it, understand what I am buying, and am pretty happy with the capabilities of the platform I have in my hand. To me, it is going to be a matter of what do I buy when my current contract runs out, or the itch gets too bad. There is a good chance MS has something for me that is compelling with WM7. Guess we'll see. The decision won't be based on believing I'll get WM8 though, from MS, HTC, or AT&T.
__________________
Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
Last edited by Sven Johannsen; 11-16-2009 at 10:55 PM..
If the guys cooking roms can do it...
Too Late Microsoft
Linear Mode
LinkBacks (?)
