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Originally Posted by Malatesta
I will say this though: the 6600 was very limited in market share when it came out and there was little competition. Also, upgrading 2003SE devices to WM5 has always been more pain than it was worth and the platform was just done for by the time the 6700 was ready to come out.
In 2007, the WM world is very, very different from 2004-2005.
AKU updates (unheard of pre-WM5) are becoming more and more frequent and easy to enable as the code base has become more stabilized.
Case in point: Crossbow is widely reported to have a "Windows Update" function it much like our Desktop versions (how much will be updated remains to be seen), but this is the logical progression of the WM platform.
Now maybe this will or won't happen but with Engadget picking up on the story it does add some pressure to Verizon to deliver, which is also better than a few dorks on message boards quietly ruminating to themselves about it. Verizon has also been very aggressive on the PDA/smartphone front in comparison to Sprint and they have more money to throw around too.
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You make some good points, Malatesta. Although AKU updates did exist pre-WM5 (AKU 2.0 for WM2003SE added Windows Media Player 10 Mobile), they have certainly become more frequent and taken on more significance with the rise in popularity of WM.
I agree with you about the "lame duck" status of the 6600/Harrier and any other device based on the old model of using RAM for storage memory and not having the proper key layout for one-handed operation. But it wasn't WM5 that users were clamoring for (well I guess some overly-optimistic ones were), it was the big EV-DO update (and an official Sprint-sanctioned upgrade to WM2003SE AKU 2.0). After a while it was clear we weren't getting a new CE ROM, so we were left hoping for an official EV-DO update (I and a few others were using it unofficially via another carrier's radio ROM and a hacked PRL, but that was before Sprint turned on authentication, at which point a Sprint-blessed update became necessary). True, it is a different situation, and surely there are more challenges ($$) involved in re-approving a device for EV-DO, but the fact was that it was too expensive for Sprint to justify upgrading an old device when its successor was on its way to market.
I see a similar situation at play here. Sprint has officially EOL'ed the 6700, meaning they won't be ordering any more from UTStarcom. I am not sure if Verizon has followed suit (maybe someone who knows can chime in?) but if the 6800 is coming in May as expected, it won't be long before the 6700 is out of production entirely.
So since Sprint and Verizon have already committed to selling the 6800 (which presumably has at least WM5 AKU 3.5, if not WM6) they could offer their corporate customers--by far the largest market segment for these devices--a monetary incentive to upgrade from the 6700 to the 6800 and take care of the other customers on a case-by-case basis. By doing so they would end up way ahead financially than if they paid for the AKU 3 update for the 6700 in addition to paying for the 6800 (remember, they want you to upgrade to the 6800 or one of their other spiffy new phones).
I've not read much (anything?) about Windows Update-type upgrades being in Crossbow. In fact, I thought that was more in the Photon timeline but I really don't know so I'll take your word for it. But I agree that's where things need to go. The OEM model was nice for MS these past seven years because they didn't have to deal with the end users, but I imagine that the carriers are lobbying
hard for MS to take on the burden of pushing out OS updates (as long as there are promises of a stable wall between CE and cellular radio). That would save them a ton of money and resources and allow MS to share in some of the support costs involved. I think it will be really interesting to see how Apple and Cingular handle iPhone support and updates. It could very well end up providing a good model for how Windows Mobile should be going forward.
Anyway, yeah I hadn't thought about the Engadget post being a chest-puffing move to try to force Verizon's hand, but I am just highly skeptical of it ultimately succeeding (fool me once...).
I said this of the Sprint EV-DO debacle too, but I will gladly eat crow if Verizon comes through with another ROM update for the 6700. It will only serve to benefit all of us, so I hope it happens. I'm just not holding my breath and I'd advise everyone else not to do it either--it's bad for your health.
If you've read this far, congrats!