is Windows Phone/Mobile doomed

Forums › Legacy mobile platforms (Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Web OS, Symbian, Meego, Blackberry) › is Windows Phone/Mobile doomed

MikeB4

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#175359 26-Jun-2015 07:28

Latest email from the MSFT CEO

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-has-a-new-mission-statement-and-is-about-to-make-a-few-tough-choices

Is Windows Phone/Mobile one of the tough choices? I don't think it terminal yet but I think the message is that the platform is on notice.

Thoughts?

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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#1331847 26-Jun-2015 07:38

We have just changed to Nokia/Windows phones at work (from iPhone's & Samsung Galaxy's no less, obviously a money saving venture). Haven't yet found a single person that actually likes them, and all sorts of IT issues linking with our other systems. The result is a mobile workforce that hates and does't use the tools they are given = reduced satisfaction and productivity. Hell you can't even go onto a local retailer and by a case for the damn things!

The platform will never compete in the mobile marketplace with a product like that, they should pull the pin on it now and get it over with...preferably before it's my turn at work to get my iPhone replaced!

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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#1331848 26-Jun-2015 07:44

I think WindowsPhone will go away for sure, Win 10 is the first hint of that. However I don't think it'll be the end of Windows on a phone, I think It'll be the beginning.

It truly is sad how poor the uptake of WP is. It is by far the best phone OS.

reven

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#1331850 26-Jun-2015 07:46

I really hope not, windows phone 10 looks amazing. The fact microsoft are pushing for one app runs everywhere, its brilliant. Seeing a windows phone docked to a screen and displaying a full desktop like environment running your full office applications (and other applications) is huge.

I would seriously consider moving to windows phone 10 if they apps where there. And the fact that android and iOS apps can run it with minor modifications is really huge.

It's had a really rocky start, and mostly let down due to lack of apps. But Android/Apple aren't doing anything so big as microsoft are doing with their phones now.

Sure these phones aren't released yet, but when they are released and if they do sell docks (which I'm sure they will) and hopefully key android apps are ported, and if the price are right, they will be a serious contender.

Presenters will no longer need to care a laptop around, just their phone and dock them.

MikeB4

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#1331854 26-Jun-2015 07:57

I have used IOS, Windows Phone and Android. Windows phone is by far more intuitive than the others and Android the worse I used. I would jump back to Windows Phone in an instant if new devices are released with Win 10. I am currently
using Surface and its the best tablet I have owned.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

JWR

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#1331855 26-Jun-2015 07:59

One way of looking at at it... Yes it will fade away as a product.

But, the other way of looking at it ... it will merge into Windows more and more.

Windows isn't about to disappear anytime soon.

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#1331858 26-Jun-2015 08:06

The way I see it, and I know many will disagree, iOS was the best when it first launched, up until about the iPhone 4s came out. That's when they stopped doing anything that great and just started minor updates. At that point android basically became the best smartphone/tablet platform, and is still to this day.

Windows Phone 10 (or is it just called windows 10?) has a good chance of changing that and becoming the best platform. Time will tell, it won't have the numbers like android/ios any time soon, but it could easily be the best platform.

Developer/apps are what make these OSs great. And microsoft are a developer company, they make the best developer tools and nothing comes remotely close (visual studio is amazing). They have been limited by their market share and a lot of developer don't see it worth the extra effort for windows phone, but with the android/ios stuff it wont be much effort at all and their apps will suddenly run on EVERY WINDOWS PLATFORM. So they can make their mobile games run on xbox :) Of course they haven't (to my knowledge) stated how they will let indie devs/small devs/any devs release apps for xbox, but I'm hoping they make this open. Imaging finally getting kodi/xbmc on the xbox one easily :)

I really can't stress how important the one app on every windows device is. Its huge.

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old3eyes

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#1331864 26-Jun-2015 08:39

I have a Windows phone that I bought to play with . Quite like it except for the keyboard. Terrible thing. The app store could do with some more apps. In the meantime I'll stick with my Androids ..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#1331876 26-Jun-2015 08:58

As a long time user (Windows Phone 7)... you have to put up with some stuff.

I'm on a Lumia 1020 (thanks Geekzone) and have been for a while now.

What you miss are the apps. Apps inevitably come out for iOS and Android first and sometimes for Windows Phone. For example, my Withings wifi scale - I have to use a 3rd party app on Windows Phone. ASB are the exception in that their Windows Phone app is great. Anything outside of the major ones (Facebook etc) - good luck. There is a lot of crap on the app store.

Google also doesn't care at all about Windows Phone - I would really like Inbox (I use a lot of Google ecosystem) but no chance.

Related to that, there are major gaps. I use the stock Podcast app as the alternatives are rubbish. It isn't a great experience.

MDM/Enterprise Management has come a long way in 8.1, but is still miles and miles behind iOS and Android. I am talking years worth of difference.

But having said that - my phone is solid, works great for phone, text and what I use it for. I will hang on to it for Windows 10 on Phones. If that isn't vastly improved I will move to Android.

MikeB4

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#1331890 26-Jun-2015 09:25

andrewNZ: I think WindowsPhone will go away for sure, Win 10 is the first hint of that. However I don't think it'll be the end of Windows on a phone, I think It'll be the beginning.

It truly is sad how poor the uptake of WP is. It is by far the best phone OS.

They have said that they regard Windows with Windows 10 as being one OS across the platforms but I feel that the MS mobile devices, that is, phones is on notice.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

eXDee

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#1331931 26-Jun-2015 09:57

What's happening is a number of significant things, aside from the name change back to Windows Mobile.
-Continuum allows you to plug the phone (or wireless display) into desktop hardware and run apps in a mode designed for this mode of operation. This could be very helpful to many phone and tablet users.
-"Project Astoria" (Android) and "Project Islandwood" (iOS) allow porting of app code bases very easily to the Windows platform.
-Removal of a separated Windows RT for tablets and moving to a more universal app means you'll see a platform closer to what happens on android where the same app can be run on phone or tablet or PC. This will boost the availability of apps.
-Windows 10 moving to windowed universal apps on desktop will also help adoption and development of these apps - a lot of people hated the UX of full screen apps on desktop
-Apps reportedly can be run on Xbox too - this is a huge market with a lot of potential.
-There's some other great stuff like they showed off at build - you can make a webgl game on your website and convert it to a windows based web app (even with offline support) with minimal effort.

I don't think windows on phones is going to go away any time soon and the next year is going to be very interesting. Theres rumors microsoft has some pretty great hardware in the works too. Microsoft really has upped their game and they are leveraging their strengths in Windows Desktop and Xbox to bootstrap their weaker platforms by bringing it all together.

sidefx

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#1331939 26-Jun-2015 10:17

andrewNZ:
It truly is sad how poor the uptake of WP is. It is by far the best phone OS.

Agreed. I've never tried iphone, but had multiple androids before moving to windows phone and much preferred the windows phone. I've since played with a couple of the flagship android devices that friends have and while they're certainly improved, I still prefer my lumia 920. when I initially switched it took some getting used to, but I got used to them pretty quickly and now find most day to day tasks much more intuitive. so nice to still be getting the latest and greatest updates on it too. The apps are lacking without a doubt, but in all honesty it's the built in features I want the most, and IMO the windows phone devices do them really well.

I'll be very sad if they kill them. As will my wife, who's not techy at all and also went through multiple androids before I got her a windows phone...

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
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Hoofhaarted

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#1331950 26-Jun-2015 10:43

If it does go away, what will the NCIS teams use as their phones ....

toyonut

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#1331954 26-Jun-2015 10:56

Did you even read it?
"· Finally, we will build the best instantiation of this vision through our Windows device platform and our devices, which will serve to delight our customers, increase distribution of our services, drive gross margin, enable fundamentally new product categories, and generate opportunity for the Windows ecosystem more broadly. "

Windows and Windows devices are going nowhere and with continuum, they will realize more of this with the ability for people to use their phone as a primary computing device when hooked into a screen. I think they are finally making the one Windows vision they started with Windows 8 come to life with Windows 10 and it is only the start.

Try Vultr using this link and get us both some credit:

http://www.vultr.com/?ref=7033587-3B

NZCrusader

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#1331978 26-Jun-2015 11:28

Still loving SP3 and WP.

Stable and efficient.

I think that microsoft was just too late to the game concerning mobile devices. Thats the only reason they are really coming last place right now.
People are generally in three categories.

Crapples:

Buy apple just because their friends have it and its stylish.
They have too much money and are happy to part with it, to ensure Apple's share price remains high.
Who actually uses a phone for business, pictures or communication anyway......

Droids:

Just buy android because their friends have it.
Also because they still believe there are few apps on WP and they MUST play clash of clans (srsly who picks a phone just for a silly game).
The decisions are often without good reason, so the owners are just hardwired to follow someone else, instead of lead.

Intelligent People / Power Users:

Get WP because it just works, is innovative and looks like it has a bright future.
Easily works with Linux and Windows environments.
Less bugs & grief than IOS / Android.

If microsoft made more expensive flagships (just for the sake of expensive and shiny) they can win over the apple fans.
If microsoft keeps the cost of building WP down and continues to inspire more apps, I am sure the androids will follow.

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JWR

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#1332007 26-Jun-2015 12:19

eXDee: What's happening is a number of significant things, aside from the name change back to Windows Mobile.
-Continuum allows you to plug the phone (or wireless display) into desktop hardware and run apps in a mode designed for this mode of operation. This could be very helpful to many phone and tablet users.
-"Project Astoria" (Android) and "Project Islandwood" (iOS) allow porting of app code bases very easily to the Windows platform.
-Removal of a separated Windows RT for tablets and moving to a more universal app means you'll see a platform closer to what happens on android where the same app can be run on phone or tablet or PC. This will boost the availability of apps.
-Windows 10 moving to windowed universal apps on desktop will also help adoption and development of these apps - a lot of people hated the UX of full screen apps on desktop
-Apps reportedly can be run on Xbox too - this is a huge market with a lot of potential.
-There's some other great stuff like they showed off at build - you can make a webgl game on your website and convert it to a windows based web app (even with offline support) with minimal effort.

I don't think windows on phones is going to go away any time soon and the next year is going to be very interesting. Theres rumors microsoft has some pretty great hardware in the works too. Microsoft really has upped their game and they are leveraging their strengths in Windows Desktop and Xbox to bootstrap their weaker platforms by bringing it all together.

Continuum interests me a lot.

It is very appealing being able to turn a phone into a desktop PC.

Also, Windows is looking pretty good for development/cross development for other platforms.

Microsoft give away their Community version of Visual Studio. It includes things like Xamarin for cross development.

IMO, Visual Studio is pretty much the best development environment for almost everything, except for Java.

I am sure Microsoft would be more than willing to add Java too. But, Oracle is the problem there.

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