02-10-2011, 11:39 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Windows Phone 7 Update Coming Next Month?
"Today at the Microsoft Tech days, I heard (from a Samsung guy showcasing the Omnia 7) that the WP7 update should arrive during the first week of March. There's some cell phone show next week (in Germany, I think), where a few NDAs will lapse and announcements will probably be made about new WP7 handsets and the actual features of the WP7 update." January has come and gone, and there hasn't been an update for our Windows Phone 7 yet. Rumours are pointing to early March as the time the first update will be released. I'm personally disappointed by that. Yes, this is a brand-new platform that's basically four months old at this point, but Microsoft had a key opportunity to show the world that their new update strategy was ready and they could deliver updates to customers without being hindered by their carrier and OEM partners. So far, that hasn't happened yet. The first update may very well be the hardest; carriers and OEMs aren't used to not being in control, so maybe that's a factor in the delay. Regardless, March is a few weeks away and I sincerely hope Microsoft will deliver the update we've been hearing about for a while now. Even if it doesn't bring earth-shattering changes, it will show that this is a platform that will get updates and not be abandoned like we saw so many times with Windows Mobile phones.
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02-11-2011, 12:16 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
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I'm going to have to agree with this one. MS had the chance to show that WP7 would get regular updates to address bugs/shortcomings. They blew it. Sure, they never promised an update, but to many people "early 2011" implies something prior to March and they did hint pretty strongly that an update would come in January/February, even without stating it outright.
If this is the sort of schedule they want to hold, they'll never catch up with iPhone/Android. It's just too slow. Months to release what to date has been suggested as just a minor change for Copy/Paste shows that they don't care. The lack of communication around a real date shows a lack of attention to customers. Even now, we're still dealing with rumors. That may or may not be corrected next week, but if Mr. Ballmer gets up and announces that this first update will just deliver Copy/Paste and no other major changes, I think the announcement will bomb. We know CP is coming, but want to hear about the other issues - not saving camera settings, Marketplace issues, Bing enhancements, actual access for the Dev community to things that only MS can hit right now (like camera access), etc.
As for the carriers, they still have the option to delay up to one release - that gives them a lot more control if MS continues this schedule of releasing updates. I know MS says that they trust the carriers to do the right thing, but in my experience, they never have. If there's a new device out and a new update for existing devices, I have a sad feeling that update will sit there until either MS pushes another update or the carrier milks the new device for sales. It happened with WM and I don't know that I see a good incentive for that to change. The only hope that we have there is to carrier unlock the device and somehow switch the update mechanism to get the updates straight from MS.
Yeah - hoping that we do get the update in about a month, but if we add a carrier-testing period delay to that, we'll be lucky to get it by April. I really the potential of the WP7 devices, but am getting pretty disillusioned by the lack of communication and what should be a more timely update process. (Mostly by the lack of communication....)
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02-11-2011, 12:37 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 740
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At the beginning the story was: MS will push updates directly to users no carriers involved; then it became: updates will come through carriers but..... nothing to worry about it...... yes sure!
Oops: this was WM 6.XX
Wp7 came and...... history is repeating itself........
Sorry but in my book MS really missed the train............ again...........
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02-11-2011, 12:44 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paschott
The only hope that we have there is to carrier unlock the device and somehow switch the update mechanism to get the updates straight from MS...Yeah - hoping that we do get the update in about a month, but if we add a carrier-testing period delay to that, we'll be lucky to get it by April.
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My understanding is that the updates will come directly from Microsoft via the Zune software, not via the carriers, and that the update will be RELEASED in March - that it's already been in carrier testing.
I'm 100% sure I'm at least 50% right on this. 
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02-11-2011, 01:05 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
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At least according to Paul Thurrott, the updates need to be approved/released by the carriers unless the device is a carrier-unlocked device. For those, there is no carrier approval required, updates come as MS releases them.
Yes, the updates do come directly from MS once approved, but the approval can still be delayed by the carriers for up to one release.
And I hope you're right as well, that the update will already be tested by March 8 (or whatever date MS may choose to announce). That would be a lot better than - "we're releasing this to the carriers on March 8, now they can start testing".
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02-11-2011, 03:22 AM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,503
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Why do carriers need to test? It's freaking software.
__________________
Baka. Soku. Zan. - The justice behind the dysORDer.
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02-11-2011, 09:01 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 155
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I just downloaded the January 2011 update for the developer tools, and it included the update that will be coming.
So, at least they have it out there.
Windows Phone Developer Tools Update Released
http://msdnrss.thecoderblogs.com/201...date-released/
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02-12-2011, 02:27 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng
Why do carriers need to test? It's freaking software.
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I'd generally tend to agree with that, but I can definitely see a little benefit for the carriers. They are the ones who bear the support responsibilities so if there is a glitch that affects the way the OS works on a particular device, it makes sense to test. My fear is that they'll delay a release for capital gains - such as if a new bit of hardware is coming out with that release already installed and it makes sense to them to encourage people to buy that new hardware. I have nothing on which to base this, especially since this really is a software upgrade - much more so than WM was.
Hoping that we're able to carrier unlock in a couple of months so we can get these updates directly from MS instead of waiting for the carriers, but apparently nobody's been able to get a Focus carrier unlock yet. Earliest date appears to be May or so.
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02-12-2011, 02:56 AM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,503
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paschott
They are the ones who bear the support responsibilities so if there is a glitch that affects the way the OS works on a particular device, it makes sense to test.
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See, why should they bear support responsibilities outside of their network? If the network is fine, the hardware company should bear that responsibility.
__________________
Baka. Soku. Zan. - The justice behind the dysORDer.
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02-12-2011, 03:25 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng
See, why should they bear support responsibilities outside of their network? If the network is fine, the hardware company should bear that responsibility.
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It's the way the licensing works: when an OEM like HTC licenses the software from Microsoft, it's not them who supports the device - it's the carrier. There's always been an issue of customer "ownership" in this ecosystem; the traditional way it has worked out is that the carrier owns the customer. That gives them a lot of power in the relationship and is why, traditionally, the carrier has been able to have the final say in the way the phone hardware looks/works/etc.
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