Windows Phone 7: Threat To Android?

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blog.laptopmag.com/windows-phone-7-strong-enough-to-challenge-android-ios' target='_blank'>http://blog.laptopmag.com/windows-p...nge-android-ios</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"I don't make a lot of predictions, but here's one: Windows Phone 7 will succeed, and it will force everyone else to rethink the way they design phone software. How do I know? This week we received two Android devices to review, and next to Microsoft's shiny new OS they look boring. More important, when I talked to five people of varying ages who had seen what Windows Phone 7 could do, all said they would consider buying one-and none of them currently own smart phones."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1287105257.usr14226.jpg" style="border: #d2d2bb 1px solid;" /></p><p>Mark Spoonauer of Laptopmag.com has an editorial on Windows Phone 7 that's pretty positive on Microsoft's new OS. What I find interesting is that Google's Android has been singled out as the competition (what? is the iPhone irrelevant already?), and the&nbsp;value proposition&nbsp;will be a superior UI for Microsoft and price for Google. Are you guys thinking the same way? How many of you have changed your minds about Windows Phone 7?</p>

[alex_kac]

Agreed that Android is the main loser with WP7. I really enjoy my WP7 phone. I also really enjoy my iPhone. I do not enjoy Android.

I know Android is very popular right now and that's why we're being enthusiastic about Android in our development, but honestly as a user my second phone would be a WP7 phone.

Now MS just needs to start getting its development environment to be as good as Apple's. I know there are a lot of people that just adore .NET and Silverlight. I think its OK, but its definitely not my favorite. I far prefer Objective-C and Cooca. And I really don't like using Visual Studio much anymore. I always feel like I'm going back 10 years. But most of all the APIs need more depth. There is a lot you can do as evidenced by the apps you're going to see on the Marketplace in a few months, but there is a lot you can't do. Very similar to the situation of where the iPhone was 2 years ago.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Ahahahahahahahhahahah! Hahahha! Ahahhaha! Haha! Hah.

*wheeze* Ah, that was a good one.

Oh wait, he's not joking?

[benjimen]

It's not that the iPhone is relevant, it's more 'who gets what's left over after Apple has it's market share' ;)

[tal]

Agreed that Android is the main loser with WP7. I really enjoy my WP7 phone. I also really enjoy my iPhone. I do not enjoy Android..
A very common perception especially when you leave out "power users" which are quite vocal but nonetheless just a small group (I consider myself a former phone power-user who still don't like the limitations imposed by iPhone and WP7 but I want a great out-of-the-box experience and I've grown tiered of tweaking my phone and hunting the web for new add-ons).

If WP7 will really succeed will depend a lot of if Micorsoft can get their message through. For examplte the start screen is great and fun when seeing it in motion but screenshots don't do it justice. So they really must have great hands-on-displays and I'd probably would run campaings like "WP7=XBOX Phone", "WP7=Zune Phone", "WP7=Facebook Phone" and "WP7=Office Phone" because each aspect is implemented in a great and unique way (for office only true in parts but people will believe it since it's from MS ;)) and will capture the attention of large audiences.

Now MS just needs to start getting its development environment to be as good as Apple's.... But most of all the APIs need more depth.
Partly agree: I really like VisualStudio and even more C#. Objective C was one reason for me not to develop for iPhone. But probably this is a matter of taste or more likely what one is used to / has grown into.

But you're right there is still much missing in the APIs and one can only hope that Microsoft catches up quickly. It's the same as with the whole OS: they did focus on core aspects and getting them right but at the price of missing features and now it's Microsoft part to deliver quick updates to show that the OS is evolving quickly. So the promised "copy&paste" update was a good move - I think this feature is overrated but for marketing reasons it was important to show a "we listen and deliver" attitude.

[subzerohf]

"...This week we received two Android devices to review, and next to Microsoft's shiny new OS they look boring. ..."

I think the Android phones look boring without comparing it to Microsoft's shiny new OS.

[djdj]

Now MS just needs to start getting its development environment to be as good as Apple's.

A couple years ago I bought a Mac so I could start developing my software on that platform. It was XCode that made me decide not to. The APIs on the Mac seem to be alright and fairly capable, and I didn't mind Objective C (didn't love it, but I could have gotten used to it) but XCode is a piece of junk. Seriously, develop your user interface in a separate app, and then have to hand code references to the GUI? That was abandoned twenty years ago, everybody else has moved to RAD development. Apple really needs to step it up... XCode is years behind EVERYONE else. In the end I just couldn't put up with that nonsense so I went back to developing for Windows.

I downloaded the tools to develop for WP7 and they're pretty nice. I could totally see myself creating something there. It's very easy.

[Craig Horlacher]

Wow...Not a chance.

I think there is a place for Windows Phone 7 and it's sure better than the iPhone 4 (the iphone interface is lame and nonfunctional). It would pose a threat to the iPhone if Steve Jobs didn't have the iTunes death-grip on all his followers but since it does it will have a hard time displacing that. I think it will have little affect on the explosive growth of Android.

Good Luck WinPhone 7! I think it has a good interface, far beyond the iphone/wii interface and I'm all for the competition.

[Craig Horlacher]

I think the Android phones look boring without comparing it to Microsoft's shiny new OS.
Out of the box the OEM's put stupid widget's all over the place. The thing that sets android apart is the flexibility and the way you can configure the interface. Just delete the widgets the put on (tap-hold and tap-drag) and place useful widgets in logical locations. I've never seen a computer interface I like better on any OS - and I really loved OS2 Warp!!! :)

[ronb]

http://blog.laptopmag.com/windows-p...nge-android-ios (http://blog.laptopmag.com/windows-phone-7-strong-enough-to-challenge-android-ios)
... when I talked to five people of varying ages who had seen what Windows Phone 7 could do, all said they would consider buying one-and none of them currently own smart phones."


That's what makes this meaningless info - it's not a matter of what those who do not currently own smartphones think - most probably won't buy one anyway.


What would be far more powerful is what does it take to make a current smartphone user switch. It's far easier/cheaper to stick with what you are using/familiar with. What will drive the adoption rate of something new is what does it offer that would convince someone to switch. And less-lame by itself is hardly good enough.

[Torque]

I'm on the dying Palm WebOS platform on version 1.4.5. I watched the Windows Phone 7 launch online thinking hmmmm..... watching with interest for when my phone upgrade becomes available.

[Paragon]

Looking at the statement that windows Phone 7 will cause others to change their look, I think it is a very realistic. possibility. I can easily see that happening. Few people mentioning negative views on WP7 (other than missing feastures) are talking about the actual OS. Most negative comments are more about the platform itself. If Android changed to a fresher look that was somehow closer to WP7 yet kept the open platform, and allowed the enduser to make changes to the interface where they wished, and to side load applications if they wished, I think would be awesome....No not just awesome....KILLER!!!

Dave

[Fritzly]

I would not dismiss Apple too.
the iPhone UI is clearly dated now and a refresh is, IMO, overdue.
Said that Apple, like it or not, is the company that revolutionized the way we interact with our smartphones. I would not too surprised if they launched something new too.

[slighmd]

Yep the ui of the iOS really looks dated and as phonedog said, like a dinosaur when compared to the WP7 ui. Although the customizability of the android ui makes it quite nice. But with android's average to below average apps, different processors hence app compatibility problems, variety of sceeen resolutions, this is certainly a blow to android. That's why i am personally looking forward to getting on the WP7 bandwagon and leaving android.

[ptyork]

A couple years ago I bought a Mac so I could start developing my software on that platform. It was XCode that made me decide not to. The APIs on the Mac seem to be alright and fairly capable, and I didn't mind Objective C (didn't love it, but I could have gotten used to it) but XCode is a piece of junk. Seriously, develop your user interface in a separate app, and then have to hand code references to the GUI? That was abandoned twenty years ago, everybody else has moved to RAD development. Apple really needs to step it up... XCode is years behind EVERYONE else. In the end I just couldn't put up with that nonsense so I went back to developing for Windows.

I did the exact same thing. Felt like stepping back in time to Visual C++ 2.0 or IBM's old Workframe/2. XCode is pathetic compared to Visual Studio 2010 or even NetBeans or Eclipse. Objective-C is a bizarrely convoluted mash up of C, C++, and Smalltalk--though as you say, I could get used to it if forced. Alex_kac is the first person I've ever heard compare Visual Studio negatively to XCode in any way (except that VS doesn't run natively on a Mac, which is the root of many folks problems).

Silverlight development is a breeze and C# is quite elegant and amazingly powerful, especially compared to Objective-C. I agree, though, that the API is immature. I'm also concerned about the load times that are being reported for some applications. WP7 is most definitely a 1.0 in every way, including the API, but the phone dev TOOLS are fantastic.