How Microsoft blew it with Windows Mobile - Page 5

**smiznith** · #41 (**permalink**) 11-30-2009, 07:14 PM

so whats the problem again?

smoove21 · #42 (**permalink**) 12-01-2009, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7excursion

Couldnt this analysis apply to android and webos also? I mean to get it working to peoples liking they have to root or use homebrew correct? Meaning no OS is perfect and they all have to be changed in some way in many peoples eyes. Im not bashing any OS but they all need work from what I have read. By the way I have never flashed a custom rom on any of my phones and the only time I have had a problem it was due to hardware failure which can happen on any phone.

No u cant. I believe what he meant was that unlike other OS's windows mobile is the most unstable and slow out the bunch. To be finger friendly/fast and/or stable windows has to be tweaked and/or skinned. You dont see a blackberry,iphone or either of the two webos devices being shipped with a different UI skin. The only reason android is skinned is to make it prettier but its pretty fast/stable and user friendly when shipped stock as well. Unlike the others windows mobile imho needs to be skinned or its basically crap. It isnt really user-friendly out the box like the others. We need sites like ppcgeeks/xda to help stabilize/tweak windows because microsoft is too slow/lazy to do it themselves.

**x10guy** · #43 (**permalink**) 12-01-2009, 12:13 PM

Good point. TouchFlo3D is HTC's attempt to cover up Windows Mobile (Today screen). They HAD to do that because Windows mobile by itself is just embarassing.

**WhiteBlazer01** · #44 (**permalink**) 12-01-2009, 05:05 PM

Interesting article, and unfortunately, it's fairly true. I love WM (have for the last 4+ years), and would never switch to the iPhone, simply because I really feel our PPC's are so much more capable. However, it does bug me (and I think this is an important point made in that article), when you see company's advertise apps for the iPhone.

I go into Chipotle, and they have an iPhone ordering app (no love for WM). Sppedtest.net - app for iPhone (no love for WM). They made a good point saying an iPhone app works across the board, whereas creating an app for WM, there are far too many variants. Touch screen version, non touch screen version, qvga, vga, wvga, qwvga... ever try to play rat splat on a Treo? the bottom gets cut off. Ever try to play VGA on the TP2? you get black bars.

As "simple" as the iPhone is, that's it's main feature. It's simple and just works. Mainstream doesn't do complicated. No cab files to deal with, regedits, WVGA fixes, app porting... But I guess that's also why we love our phones, because it is more capable, more functional. We can handle "complicated". I just wish it was more convenient for developers to make apps for our phones.

My $0.02

thejacer · #45 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x10guy

So there is NO argument why we have chosen Winmo. The issue is how Microsoft which has had the most time, money, and handsets just simply blew the leadership they once held. I mean it's not even close anymore. Winmo is like 3rd soon to be in 4th place.

apple released its first attempt at a pda less than 2 years after microsoft (who was the second or third guest to the party btw) and had to ditch it completely in 1998(6 years later). less than 10 years before it released its iphone, making the iphoneOS its second attempt. One of the biggest reasons was their failure to provide a sufficient handwriting recognition program (failure to innovate? MS had one). MS has already pushed Apple out of the mobile world once. But honestly call it for what it REALLY is: MS may have lost sight but Apple spent 9 years planning their return.

**x10guy** · #46 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thejacer

apple released its first attempt at a pda less than 2 years after microsoft (who was the second or third guest to the party btw) and had to ditch it completely in 1998(6 years later). less than 10 years before it released its iphone, making the iphoneOS its second attempt. One of the biggest reasons was their failure to provide a sufficient handwriting recognition program (failure to innovate? MS had one). MS has already pushed Apple out of the mobile world once. But honestly call it for what it REALLY is: MS may have lost sight but Apple spent 9 years planning their return.

Yup the good ol' Newton was a bust but you can't be serious about MS pushing Apple out of the mobile world once. MS didn't push them out, it was simply not a good product.
Yeah it took 9 years, but then again what did Microsoft do during those 9 years? That's really what this thread is about... Microsoft has been in the mobile OS business the LONGEST and yet look where they are now.

**Noir** · #47 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 10:31 AM

I don't necessarily think ms blew it in the OS department
I think they blew it in the marketing dept
the droid phone is the worse POS I have ever used and yet it is a popular phone why? Because of marketing.
microsoft needs to market the phone plain and simple

**x10guy** · #48 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noir

I don't necessarily think ms blew it in the OS department
I think they blew it in the marketing dept
the droid phone is the worse POS I have ever used and yet it is a popular phone why? Because of marketing.
microsoft needs to market the phone plain and simple

Yeah, that could be true too. I still contend that the OS really has not changed much in the last 9 years. (remember TouchFlo3D is not from Microsoft)
Whether it is marketing or the OS, I still think MS dropped the ball somewhere along the line.

But I guess on the bright side, they are still Microsoft so they do have the muscle and $$ to get back some market share. But Winmo 7 needs to be a winner and it needs to be marketed well.

thejacer · #49 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 03:56 PM

The newton was around for 6 years and saw several different iterations. in the end though it was their inability to innovate and provide the consumer with the experience they longed for that forced them out of the market. oh how easy it must be to watch your competitor do all your work for you while u spend 9 years plotting your return. Just imagine what the iphone would have looked like had it not been for all of the unhappy winmo users complaining about finger this swipe that. There is no excuse for MS being so far behind in the game after the iphone showed them what the users really want (a ball and chain with a much less than impressive UI). I think part of the reason behind this is MS has always made software to run on someone elses hardware, thus providing a UI that is easily overlayed and not missed thereafter. But thats not what the users (aside from me) wants so shame on them.

The newton thing is mainly just to address all those who think apple got it right they're first time out and cant possibly make mistakes.

thejacer · #50 (**permalink**) 12-02-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noir

I don't necessarily think ms blew it in the OS department
I think they blew it in the marketing dept
the droid phone is the worse POS I have ever used and yet it is a popular phone why? Because of marketing.
microsoft needs to market the phone plain and simple

I agree. They need to stop being polite and come out swinging when winmo7 comes out. its a little ridiculous that you dont hear a MS commercial say "This is why im better than APPLE."