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  #1  
Old 01-03-2011, 11:00 PM
Jason Dunn
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Default Wired.com: "How Microsoft Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL on Windows Phone"

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010...s-phone-7/all/1

"Microsoft staff refer to December 2008 as "The Reset" - the month that the company killed all progress on its Windows phone project and started over. It's a measure of how deep a hole Microsoft had dug itself into that the employees interviewed by Wired.com were unanimous in calling this a good thing. Even though the software titan had a head start on phone software beginning with Windows CE back in 1996, the subsequent Windows Mobile OS suffered from steep declines in market share when pitted against more user-friendly phones, like the iPhone and the Android-powered Droid."

This article was published back at the beginning of November, but it's an interesting read - especially for those of you out there who are angry at Microsoft for not reaching feature parity with a nine-year old OS with version 1.0 of a new OS designed, coded, and shipped in 12 months. Give it a read.

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  #2  
Old 01-04-2011, 12:42 AM
whydidnt
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I wonder how much Microsoft paid Wired for this "Puff Piece". Seriously, it reads like more of an ad for WP7 than it does an actual magazine story on the process MS went through.

Here it is, now 2+ years after the "reset" and we still have an OS that is hindered by hardware manufacturers (and some peculiar decisions by Microsoft) and far from feature complete. What exactly was accomplished? Yes, there is a prettier front end, and it probably is easier for basic tasks, but since that's all you can use it for, what difference does it make?

I expect all of these Mobile OS to continually evolve, add features, etc. I'm just waiting for Microsoft to show they truly understand how to deliver more than a feature phone without it being the complicated, unstable beast that was Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.5...
 
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Old 01-04-2011, 10:41 PM
Fritzly
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Well at least is more readable that the standard MS Press releases........ :-)
 
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  #4  
Old 01-05-2011, 02:02 AM
Paragon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whydidnt View Post
I'm just waiting for Microsoft to show they truly understand how to deliver more than a feature phone without it being the complicated, unstable beast that was Windows Mobile 6.1 or 6.5...
This statement is the best single line I have read that explains Microsoft Mobility.

I honestly don't think Microsoft does understand what it takes. The price they have everyone paying for what they call "Strong User Experience" in WP7 is far too high, and it isn't really accomplishing its goal.

They have been at it long enough that they should know what is needed even in a 1.0 version of an OS. Microsoft put themselves in a position with WM6.5 that they had to come out with a show stopper new platform if they were to win back substantial mindshare. What they have delivered is far short of show stopping. It lacks many features that the simplest feature phones have....Anyone tried to add a ringtone to their WP7 phone? Yet they spent how much time, money, and effort to create an app where I can build my little avatar guy, then poke him in the belly and make him dance. Cute but compared to copy and past, multitasking, turn by turn navigation, ringtones, Outlook tasks, Outlook syncing, and a list that goes on....it just doesn't cut it.

If they don't do some very astonishing things with their first update or two, they will quickly be loosing marketshare, not gaining.

I think they need a real visionary at the helm of their mobility, not your basic program manager type, but someone with superior vision, passion, and charisma, and a whole lot of fire in their belly.

Dave
 
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  #5  
Old 01-05-2011, 02:23 AM
Jason Dunn
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Let's give it a year then see who's eating their words. :-D
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Old 01-05-2011, 02:35 AM
Paragon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn View Post
Let's give it a year then see who's eating their words. :-D
Oh, I have no doubt that its going to make it, Jason. I just think that Microsoft is just making it so hard on themselves, with the decisions they have made. Microsoft has always shown their ability and willingness to make something work over the longterm. If their intention was to reboot and make a splash...not many people got wet.
 
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  #7  
Old 01-05-2011, 03:19 AM
whydidnt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn View Post
Let's give it a year then see who's eating their words. :-D
I don't know, if today's rumor's about the 2011 upgrades is all MS has to offer, I think you'll be posting this same thing again in a year. From what is rumored - Cut & Paste, CDMA support in the early release and then Silverlight and IE9 in the late. Hardly going to move the OS to the front of the line, or even to the middle from a feature perspective. Microsoft needs to realize they have to put the peddle to the metal, but they seem quite content to motor along at the same upgrade cycle they have enjoyed on the desktop for years.
 
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Old 01-05-2011, 03:51 AM
Fritzly
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whydidnt View Post
I don't know, if today's rumor's about the 2011 upgrades is all MS has to offer, I think you'll be posting this same thing again in a year. From what is rumored - Cut & Paste, CDMA support in the early release and then Silverlight and IE9 in the late. Hardly going to move the OS to the front of the line, or even to the middle from a feature perspective. Microsoft needs to realize they have to put the peddle to the metal, but they seem quite content to motor along at the same upgrade cycle they have enjoyed on the desktop for years.
And these rumored updates will have to be "approved" by the Carriers.......... quite far from early MS statements about updates coming directly as for Windows 7..........................
 
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Old 01-05-2011, 04:06 AM
Sven Johannsen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fritzly View Post
And these rumored updates will have to be "approved" by the Carriers.......... quite far from early MS statements about updates coming directly as for Windows 7..........................
I'm not that worried about that aspect. When it was MS delivering the update to the carrier, and they had the option of saying, there is too much additional effort to be done, or just ignoring it, that was one thing. These are MS updates, on MS portions of the OS, via MS distribution channels. The 'approval' is an opportunity to ensure it doesn't break anything. I can't see all four (?) carriers getting together and saying no to an update, and if one lets it go, the others will be hard pressed to explain how it is a problem on their network. AT&T at least has gotten used to this sort of OEM control through the iPhone, so I think their culture is relatively comfortable with this sort of upgrade/update. Right now they have 75% of the models in the US.
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  #10  
Old 01-05-2011, 04:37 AM
Lee Yuan Sheng
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I'd love to see the reasoning behind dropping Tasks (yes, I'm not going to let go of this :P).
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