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  #1  
Old 07-09-2009, 04:08 AM
Jason Dunn
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Default Does Windows Mobile Still Have a Market Left?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mi...ns?pagenumber=1

"As computing goes mobile thanks to the emergence of more powerful devices, Microsoft Corp. is finding itself increasingly threatened by new rivals -- and some old ones, too. The company's mobile technology has suffered in comparison to both the iPhone, from traditional foe Apple Inc., and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry. Meanwhile device makers who have normally been big supporters of Microsoft's mobile operating system software, such as Motorola Corp. and Palm Inc., have been moving toward the use of different technology."

We've already had an interesting discussion about this topic, but as people look at the mobile market it's going to come up again and again: Microsoft has really dropped the ball in terms of competing in this space. In some ways, this echoes what they did with Windows XP: it was a good product when it launched, but they took their eye off the ball and got lazy - and Vista shipped years late, and missing many of the features it was supposed to have. Similarly, Windows Mobile was a great mobile operating system back in the day - but Microsoft focused on the wrong things, year after year, and now have ended up at the bottom of the marketshare heap. They can do better - and they will do better - but for now, they're going to take some lumps.

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  #2  
Old 07-09-2009, 09:56 AM
Pony99CA
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Default Marketshare

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn View Post
Similarly, Windows Mobile was a great mobile operating system back in the day - but Microsoft focused on the wrong things, year after year, and now have ended up at the bottom of the marketshare heap. They can do better - and they will do better - but for now, they're going to take some lumps.
It's been taking lumps for a while now. However, it's not really at the bottom of the marketshare heap. With 20 million units shipped last year, I think they were only behind Nokia's Symbian and RIM's BlackBerry.

Where Windows Mobile is hurting is mind share. On sites like this, and even some generic gadget sites, Windows Mobile gets some buzz, but not like the iPhone or even Android and Palm's WebOS seem to.

With luck WM 6.5 will start to change that and WM 7.0 will put Microsoft back in the buzz game.

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  #3  
Old 07-09-2009, 10:56 AM
benjimen
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I've been using WM since it first came out as WindowsCE on HP monochrome-screen clamshell devices. I thought it was great then. Part of the trouble now is that WM phones are built on that same OS, which was not initially intended for wireless communications. It's certainly been updated, but at it's core is that same WindowsCE that started it all.

Since the iPhone came out, I've started to get bored -- but stuck it out, thinking something great would come. It still might, but it won't be WM 6.5 -- which means maybe 7 will be the one, but more realistically, 7 won't be completely usable until 7.2 or so -- we're looking at a couple years here. HTC will continue to make great strides at covering up WM and put out some nice devices... but... it'll remain a bit boring.

The first iPhone was of no interest to me; the 2nd 3G one started to get my attention -- I calculated my monthly cost at the AT&T website. Being grandfathered into some fantastic rates with T-Mobile, I couldn't justify the switch. I did take the plunge with the 3GS -- preordered, ported my number over and accepted the possibility that I'd just done something really stupid.

Wow... I had no idea. What a fantastic device. I don't care how much HTC covers up WM, they can't touch this. No locking up; no slowing to a crawl for no apparent reason; no need to research tweaks to try and get the device to behave; no decision on what shell product best makes the device usable -- my iPhone 3GS just works, and elegantly pays attention to little details -- like recalling the volume I last used when the headphones were plugged in -- and returning it to the previous level when I unplug them. All that and I don't dread web browsing with it. WM 7.x will have to be pretty amazing to pry me away from my iPhone.

So yes, I'd have to agree, MS missed the boat with WM by not shifting into high-gear when the iPhone was launched. They've waited far to long and it'll take them forever to catch up -- at least as much as they can at this point.

Last edited by benjimen; 07-09-2009 at 01:37 PM..
 
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  #4  
Old 07-09-2009, 12:51 PM
emuelle1
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I doubt Windows Mobile will go away anytime soon, but they'll definitely lose marketshare if Microsoft doesn't make some changes. I had 8 Windows Mobile devices, and only two of them had updated operating systems. One cost me $40 from HP, the other was a free update (WM 6.0 to 6.1) from Samsung.

I'm hardly the voice of Windows Mobile consumers, but if MS wants to win back marketshare, they need to stop copying the iPhone's UI and work on some core improvements. They need to work on stability (who wants to reboot a phone 5 or more times a day just to do common tasks like check email?) They also need to work on getting updates out faster and more often. My last WM phone was a Samsung Epix. I bought it in October of '08. Samsung finally got around to rolling out an update in late April or early May of '09, after I'd given up and switched to the iPhone. One of the updates included a fix to allow syncing of Outlook notes, something the darn phone should have been able to do out of the box. I used it for 6 months without being able to sync Outlook notes.

One more thing I love about the iPhone is the seemless switching. Without paying extra for backup software, every time I reset my WM device, I had to reinstall all of my applications and copy all of my data over. I also had to reset all of my device settings, input my mail accounts, etc. I bought an iPod Touch (1st Gen) in 2008. It went through several updates, then I got the iPhone. I still have data and settings from the day that I bought that Touch that have migrated through several OS updates and across to another device.

MS might need to "reboot" Windows Mobile. Like I said, it probably won't go away, but I'm not likely to go back to it anytime soon.
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  #5  
Old 07-09-2009, 01:24 PM
doc
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While I haven't been using WM as long as Benjimen, I do have to repeat pretty much everything he has stated above. The only difference is I've now switched to WebOS and the Pre.

In the month I've been using my Pre I'm reminded of how great it was to have a smartphone that just works. I have not had to reboot once. And, since I've had the phone it has been automatically updated twice.

On top of this the Pre is pretty fun to use. Sorry MS, PPCThoughts is spot on with this post. You've missed the boat and lost yet another long time WM user.
 
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  #6  
Old 07-09-2009, 01:39 PM
Russ Smith
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Well Pony already made my first reaction: " it's not really at the bottom of the market-share heap."

Still, I think Microsoft could do a bit more. First, they could get their name out there. Linksys is now being marketed as "Linksys by Cisco" even though nothing really has changed. If MS could get it's OEMs to say "X1 with Windows Mobile", it could help with the mind-share issue. (Once people realize all the cool devices that start with WM...)

Second, because there is some real competition from the iPhone in particular. Microsoft should devote more R&D resources to speed up development. The more times competitors have to scramble to add features that WM already has, the better for WM. While quietly adding in some "us-too" features, MS should leverage those points where it's still in the lead. One such would be memory and i/o capabilities.

Finally, MS either needs to beef up things like Pocket Word, Excel, Outlook, Media Player and IE or just open the door further for the real alternatives like SoftMaker Office, Opera Mobile, and CorePlayer/Pocket TV. Along with the capabilities of adding hardware like full-sized keyboards and (on some units) screens, WM could become a real laptop replacement OS for low to mid-range needs.
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  #7  
Old 07-09-2009, 01:49 PM
Vincent Ferrari
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Windows Mobile will never regain its old glory until they adopt software updates.

Google, RIM, and Apple all allow updates on older hardware to the newer OSes. For the most part, with Windows Mobile, you have to buy a new device.

Who wants to buy a new device every time an OS upgrade happens?

I've had WinMo devices from HTC, Audiovox, Toshiba (yep I go way back), Dell, and HP, and despite the infinite promises of firmware updates, I never got one on ANY of the devices when a new version of the OS came out (point-releases not withstanding) and that's a real problem. Not everyone is a geek and not everyone buys a new device at each new OS revision.

Sorry, but that's the big hangup and until that gets fixed, WinMo is gonna keep hurting. They're not dead. Far from it. But Microsoft's mismanagement and undelivered promises on the platform are going to kill it if things don't change.
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  #8  
Old 07-09-2009, 02:30 PM
rkb
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Default It's all about leadership

As a long time fan and developer for Windows Mobile, I've come to the conclusion that Microsoft really doesn't care an awful lot about the advancement of Windows Mobile.

Because they don't see this as "money making" component of their business like their OS and Office products, the growth of Windows Mobile suffers.

Until the leadership at Microsoft begins to put more resources behind Windows Mobile AKA Windows Phone, it will lag behind the likes of the IPhone and Blackberry.

Look at it this way, when Bill gates was in-charge, it was said that he would not allow folks leaving their "Windows Laptops" at home or in the office while folks traveled with their Blackberry's. This to me meant that more emphasis would be put on the mobile platform so that folks would take their Windows Phone with them to be more productive when on the road.

When Mr. Balmer decides that the Windows Phone platform is really important to their business, this is when we'll see the Windows Phone take it's lead on the mobile front. Until then, many of us will continue to drift towards the competition.
 
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  #9  
Old 07-09-2009, 03:25 PM
Craig Horlacher
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Default It's sad.

Windows Mobile has so much potential but I think Microsoft has done 3 things that have really hurt it.

My perspective has been formed over around 12 years of mobile device usage. HP OmniGo 120, Philips Nino 325, Casio E-125, Toshiba E830, Imate Ultimate 6150. I also have a Sony PSP and think this is an amazing media device that's most people have no idea what it's full, built-in, functionality is.

1. Poor hardware support. This is not just Microsoft's fault but a fault of OEM's for releasing devices that don't even support the built in hardware well. Here are some specific examples:
- E830 and 6150, neither can reliable sleep with files open on a storage card. The applicaiton with files open on the storage are will usually crash when you wake it up and try to use the application. It's a known bug but apparently has never been fixed. I was able to fix it with a registry hack on the E830 but I have not been able to fix the same problem on my WinMo61 6150. Imate is clueless. This "bug" should have been a release show-stopper. It's a huge problem for me.
- The E830 came with bluetooth but it's bluetooth stack never supported HID's. Part of the reason I fought to get this thing (it was never released for the US) was so I could use it with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. That never worked.
- The 6150 has an nVidia GoForce 5500 but *nothing* uses it execpt that it does come with support for the vga out. I finally got a hacked version of TCPMP that does have support for the chipset and that works well but Windows Media Player is still terrible and graphics speed on the device in general is not impressive.
- The 6150 has a microSD slot that doesn't support microSDHC. I'm limited 2GB of storage on what is otherwise a fairly high end device (WinMo 6.1, vga display, 128MB RAM 256MB ROM, WIFI, Bluetooth, hsdpa, 520MHz).

2. There is no good update system or app store. Over the last 10 years you would think that Microsoft could have developed some kind of centralized app store and update system but they haven't. The reason I'm still using Windows Mobile is because of the applications for it. Most people I know with WinMo devices have no clue what software is out there. They think they are limited to the built in apps but windows mobile doesn't even shine unless you get some third party apps. Pocket Informant, Pocket Bible, Resco Photo Viewer, CodeWallet Pro, and Softmaker Office are some of my staples. I feel bad for companies who create apps like these, with much more depth and functionality than I've seen with any iPhone app, and no good way to get it out there. Along with this, and probably more important, it should be easy for users to get updates from the OEM which should include new operating system versions as well as bug fixes.

3. The interface needs to be improved.Touch friendly would be cool but I actually like using a stylus for some things, like minor graphics editing, and hope that doesn't go away. To me, part of the interface problem is not related to "touchability", but more technical. There should be a simple, standard task switcher. The user should be able to close open programs from it and also complete use it without a stylus.

Imate has Winterface available as a free download. Of course HTC has their TouchFlo 3d. At least these do give some touch friendly usage to WinMo. I think it's funny that Microsoft hasn't address this yet other than screen shots of vaporware.

Well, those are my thoughts and opinions. Good luck with your mobile device of choice!
 
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  #10  
Old 07-10-2009, 12:15 AM
Reid Kistler
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Some random thoughts on WinMo - and associated or competing devices - a few of which echo previous posts:

1) LIKE using a stylus. In fact, actually HATE using FINGERS to do Anything On The Screen. Accordingly, by default, any device that is NOT "stylus-centric" is simply out of the question.
With the Fuze it is often Convenient to use a finger to answer the phone, and occasionally to dial a number, but much of the time these are handled via bluetooth connection: look ma, no hands! (let alone fingers...)

This, of course, is not a question of "right or wrong," but simply preference. In the end, believe that many - although certainly not all - of the pros / cons of WHATEVER OS / Device / Software ultimately fall back upon "preferences."

2) Enjoy having the option of choosing from a Variety of software applications, available from a variety of sources. Therefore would dislike being forced to choose from a selection of Officially Approved apps.

3) Apple controls the Hardware, the OS, and (most of? all of?) the Applications available for the iPhone. MS develops the OS, but then leaves it up to the device manufacturer to determine suitability / functionality of the hardware, and to the Developer to create & support non-conflicting software.
Apple's approach ensures greater consistency - and conformity - but arguably less 'freedom to choose'; certainly so in terms of Hardware. (Even if the new iPhones may melt in your pocket! )
The WinMo approach offers a wonderful variety in both devices and software - but also ensures that it will be nearly impossible to avoid some less-then-satisfactory results.

4) Recall MS taking a lot of heat for building into Windows (Desktop) OS a lot of functionality that had been reserved for third party developers in the past. Seems a lot of this controversy has simply blown away (although read something about Win7 being available in Europe WITHOUT IE8 - ??) - and also MS is now making available a number of Free Apps / Applets that you have to DOWNLOAD - as opposed to building them into Windows Desktop.

Wonder whether part of the failure to include certain features into WinMo is due to concern MS might face similar attacks if they try to "control" too much?

Then again, you have the service providers putting their own twist on things - and sometimes insisting that certain capabilities be removed or at least weakened. (FM Radio on original Fuze release? Tethering on new iPhone?)

5) Since doing the ROM update on the Fuze (to the Official New ROM, not one of the "Cooked" ones), the device has been a remarkably stable performer. Unlike my Axim, the Fuze does not seem to be prone to ever-increasing memory usage - although, to be fair, the vastly larger quantity of RAM is certainly a factor here - and "Soft Resets" have been limited to Install / Uninstall an App, or for certain customization settings, as opposed to a several-times-a-week necessity.

6) None of this is to suggest that MS does not face a problematical future with WinMo. The OS is - from a personal perspective - Wonderful for a PDA, Acceptable for a PDA / Phone, but (apparently) Woefully Lacking for a PDA / Phone / Entertainment (Multi-Media) Device, which most of the marketplace seems to have moved toward.

And, YES, would wholeheartedly agree with those who take MS, the various device manufactures, &/or service providers to TASK for failing (in most cases) to provide any opportunity to upgrade to newer releases...

None of the available options is PERFECT - if any were, there would simply be no competition left. But, FOR ANY GIVEN INDIVIDUAL, it is certainly true that some device / OS combinations come closer than others... Repeating Vector's comment: Good luck with your mobile device of choice!
 
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