Microsoft still commited to Windows 10 Mobile despite what sensationalist journalists are saying

[AlTech]

Microsoft has been in the press lately for all the right reasons but also for all the wrong reasons. Journalists have recently assumed that Microsoft was showing that they were no longer committed to Windows 10 Mobile and their Windows Phone devices.

 

This appears to be completely false since Microsoft is actually looking to hire new people for developing Windows 10 Mobile.

 

Microsoft's job listing for mobile states that they're looking to develop Windows 10 Mobile rather than extinguish it.

 

Quote

In the mobile-first, cloud-first world Windows Mobile remains an important and strategic piece for Microsoft. We are uniquely positioned to support our Enterprise customers, OEM and Mobile partners who continue to invest in our platform and the consumers who are adapting connectivity scenarios like Continuum. An agile and nimble organization is being created in the Windows and Devices Group (WDG) to support this charter and deliver on the security, manageability features for Enterprises and consumers and be part of the cutting-edge long-term investments in Mobile

 

Whilst this listing may reference mostly enterprise customers, some regular consumers still hang onto the product.

 

The biggest issue I find is that Microsoft isn't pushing Windows 10 Mobile to all eligible Windows Phone 8.1 devices and so the consumer base is split in a way which causes problems.

 

Hopefully, they'll fix that whilst providing cool and innovative features for Windows 10 Mobile.

 

But seriously, stop with the sensationalist bullshit about Microsoft abandoning Windows 10 Mobile. They're not, this is only more proof of that on top of their continued support and updates to the platform.

 

Source:

http://www.windowscentral.com/windows-mobile-job-listings-reiterate-microsofts-continued-support-platform

[sof006]

I don't understand why they're wasting their money on a platform that will never take off unless it changes its closed platform. It needs to be more open source like Android. They're trying to be like Apple which will never work because they don't have the same kind of dominance in the mobile market. They're losing more money than they gain from Windows Mobile.

[alexyy]

Windows mobile? No thanks, I want something that works.

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, sof006 said:

I don't understand why they're wasting their money on a platform that will never take off unless it changes its closed platform. It needs to be more open source like Android. They're trying to be like Apple which will never work because they don't have the same kind of dominance in the mobile market.

 

1 minute ago, sof006 said:

They're losing more money than they gain from Windows Mobile.

No. They're developing Windows 10 Mobile alongside Windows 10.

 

It's the same group of people who work on both versions of Windows 10. Most people do not know or recognize that but it actually doesn't cost Microsoft much to continue to support Windows Phones.

 

Just now, alexyy said:

Windows mobile? No thanks, I want something that works.

Windows 10 Mobile works fine for millions of people around the world.....

 

It's intuitive, fast and sleek looking. Apart from app issues (which are being fixed), what is wrong with it?

[comicsansms]

1 minute ago, AluminiumTech said:

It's intuitive, fast and sleek looking. Apart from app issues (which are being fixed), what is wrong with it?

Intuitive? I know people who are phone salesman, he gets a hell of a lot more complaints about windows phone being unintuitive than ios or Android,  even though they make up a lot less of the market share and of phone sales. 

[alexyy]

Just now, AluminiumTech said:

It's intuitive, fast and sleek looking. Apart from app issues (which are being fixed), what is wrong with it?

What isn't? App issues which may "being fixed" isn't fixed as of yet so why should I invest in it? when we have plenty of better options, If I want a locked in ecosystem I'd just get a iPhone.

[vorticalbox]

7 minutes ago, sof006 said:

I don't understand why they're wasting their money on a platform that will never take off unless it changes its closed platform. It needs to be more open source like Android. They're trying to be like Apple which will never work because they don't have the same kind of dominance in the mobile market. They're losing more money than they gain from Windows Mobile.

Well if there UWP  takes off like they are planning, one app running across PX, xbox and phone, then it will be worth their time and money to invest in it. Windows phone has so great features like MAC address spoofing so that is harder to to track you as you move across networks, native SD card encryption so that  if you lose your phone your SD data is protected. Also allows you full control over privacy (shocking I know) so even if you disable an app using GPS it doesn't break the app. I had problems with that on android. The UI is better for beginners and tiles are actually very useful for seeing quick information.  

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

Intuitive? I know people who are phone salesman, he gets a hell of a lot more complaints about windows phone being unintuitive than ios or Android

Which version? Windows 10 Mobile or Windows Phone 8.1?

 

Windows Phone 8.1 wasn't too intuitive but Windows 10 Mobile improved upon that.

 

1 minute ago, alexyy said:

What isn't?

The people who write "what isn't" when it comes to responding to a question are people who usually are trolling or just don't really care.

 

 

1 minute ago, alexyy said:

App issues which may "being fixed" isn't fixed as of yet so why should I invest in it?

Because there are plenty of apps that are present on the store.

 

I am missing few apps. Most apps I would ever use are available for Windows 10 Mobile.

 

Apps i'm missing:

• Discord
• Google Drive (+ accompanying Google Docs style apps, also not a deal breaker) for schoolwork
• Google Classroom (this would be a nice bonus but not a deal breaker)
• YouTube (not an issue since there are plenty of third party clients.
• Twitch (not a deal breaker, if it's not there then I won't use it and if it is then I might)
•  

1 minute ago, alexyy said:

when we have plenty of better options, If I want a locked in ecosystem I'd just get a iPhone.

This is not a locked ecosystem. You can use a Windows Phone and a Mac or a Windows Phone and a Linux machine.

 

People who purchase windows phones happen to, more often that not, be fans of Windows.

[AlTech]

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Well if there UWP  takes off like they are planning, one app running across PX, xbox and phone, then it will be worth their time and money to invest in it.

Yes and I must admit that as someone who has made UWP apps alongside traditional .NET desktop apps, UWP apps are great.

 

MS Is fixing lots of issues that UWP initially had and is striving to make UWP apps better.

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Windows phone has so great features like MAC address spoofing so that is harder to to track you as you move across networks

I noticed this one day on my Lumia, I saw that in the networking and wifi settings or something similar to it.

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

, native SD card encryption so that  if you lose your phone your SD data is protected.

This is also really great!

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Also allows you full control over privacy (shocking I know) so even if you disable an app using GPS it doesn't break the app.

This is also amazing. I can disable loads of settings on a per app basis so that apps only need to use the bare minimum to function how they were meant to.

2 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

The UI is better for beginners and tiles are actually very useful for seeing quick information.  

Also, yes I can attest to this. I've read the subject of emails from looking at Live Tiles without having to dig through my emails and it saved me time!

[vorticalbox]

Windows Phone Fast Ring changes https://changewindows.org/build/15063/mobile

 

[comicsansms]

6 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Which version? Windows 10 Mobile or Windows Phone 8.1?

Idk, and honestly I couldn't care, it is an OS that cannot get anywhere, purely because there are  2 very developed contenders, most people are on smart phones, the people who are not will go with whatever their friends recomend and why would anyone change platforms if they are happy with what they have, and if they are unhappy, they will move to the other big boat. 

 

6 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Because there are plenty of apps that are present on the store.

Just not all of what people demand, and for ever app that windows phone is missing, there is a group of people who will never go to windows phone because of that.

Microsoft needs to support developers by giving them funding for Windows phone support, that is the only way they will get the apps, so windows phone can compete and get the people who don't like the current OS they are using. 

 

6 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

This is not a locked ecosystem. You can use a Windows Phone and a Mac or a Windows Phone and a Linux machine.

But you can do that with iOS as well, and well iOS is an echo system. 

[LAwLz]

18 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Well if there UWP  takes off like they are planning, one app running across PX, xbox and phone, then it will be worth their time and money to invest in it.

They have been "planning" for it to take off for about 3 years now, starting with Windows 8 and metro apps. If Windows phone was a dog I would have taken it behind the barn a long time ago. It's painful to see it suffer like this.

 

 

18 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Windows phone has so great features like MAC address spoofing so that is harder to to track you as you move across networks

I can't find any info about this. Got a source? I do however know that you can change it on an Android device if you have root.

 

18 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

native SD card encryption so that  if you lose your phone your SD data is protected.

Oh, so just like Android then?

 

18 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Also allows you full control over privacy (shocking I know) so even if you disable an app using GPS it doesn't break the app.

Are you sure about that? I find it hard to believe that Microsoft would give users control over privacy settings/features when they won't do that on the desktop.

And no, turning off the GPS is not "full control over privacy" (which you can on Android too, and it will not break the app if the app you are using is somewhat decent).

 

18 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

The UI is better for beginners and tiles are actually very useful for seeing quick information.  

You mean like widgets? Yeah that's very useful for seeing quick info.

The problem I have heard people have with live tiles is that it feels very disorganized and the look of the phone constantly changes. For a new user, that's bad.

For a lot of new users it's hard to just remember which button to press to do something. If you throw in a lot of animations and change the look of icons constantly then a lot of users will feel lost.

 

There is a rumor going around that the reason Microsoft named their new browser Edge, and kept the logo very similar is because a lot of users associate the Internet with the blue E. That's how dependent some users are on consistency. Live tiles throws all that out the window.

 

It's easy to say something is more intuitive as something else when you're suffering from baby duck syndrome. It might feel more intuitive to you, but that's most likely because you are already used to it.

[ItsTheDuckAgain]

14 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

(..)

Dude calm down. No need to quote the shit out everybody :-)

I personally don't like Windows Phone (newest version), it does some things right, others not so much. Had to use one at work for a year now and while Continum  is sort of ok (besides performance being an utter joke when doing mroe then just browse and mails), I still prefer Android. Looking forward to the new S8 and its DeX Station, will test that stuff at work for the next year or so.

Overall - Windows Phone is ok, it performs well, got APP issues (yes tehy are getting fixed but waaaaaaaaaaaaaay to slow)

I think it's more important that there even is a 3rd option besides fruit and tin can, competition keeps that marked healthy.

 

(Please don't quote me :-) )

[Castdeath97]

There is a difference between saying "We are committed" and having job listing related to mobile versus actually being fully proper committed to it financially and strategically.

 

This commentator sums it up well:

 

 

They aren't going to get back my trust on the platform till they show it in practice.

[Bouzoo]

26 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Apart from app issues (which are being fixed), what is wrong with it?

It's not really no. If they want to change things, they need to do it at a faster pace. I don't think Win Mobile is bad, but the current state of it is what's bad. 

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/

[vorticalbox]

15 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

They have been "planning" for it to take off for about 3 years now, starting with Windows 8 and metro apps. If Windows phone was a dog I would have taken it behind the barn a long time ago. It's painful to see it suffer like this.

Yeah it's taking a while but it is slowly getting there

15 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Oh, so just like Android then?

Didn't know android support this, It didn't when I had my last android just over a year a go

 

15 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Are you sure about that? I find it hard to believe that Microsoft would give users control over privacy settings/features when they won't do that on the desktop.

And no, turning off the GPS is not "full control over privacy" (which you can on Android too, and it will not break the app if the app you are using is somewhat decent).

 

GPS was just an example but check the screen shots, you can see that you can allow or block and app from using and part you like even system apps.

[ManIkWeet]

I got a Windows Phone... The lack of apps is just sad.

 

No UWP isn't fixing that, Netflix for example has an UWP desktop app that isn't used for mobile.

 

There is no clear dedication to Windows Phone from Microsoft's side, so developers are staying away until this changes.

 

Ancient bugs in the W10M are still present, like the live-tiles not updating. I currently have no hope in the platform ever succeeding.

 

I hate Andriod and iOS more by the way...

[vorticalbox]

26 minutes ago, ManIkWeet said:

I got a Windows Phone... The lack of apps is just sad.

 

No UWP isn't fixing that, Netflix for example has an UWP desktop app that isn't used for mobile.

 

There is no clear dedication to Windows Phone from Microsoft's side, so developers are staying away until this changes.

 

Ancient bugs in the W10M are still present, like the live-tiles not updating. I currently have no hope in the platform ever succeeding.

 

I hate Andriod and iOS more by the way...

the Netflix app does work on mobile, I have it installed. The only tile that doesn't always update for me is the calendar it gets stuck om the day before sometimes. 

 

I do have a bug where the keyboard doesn't always show in edge without closing the app first. if you go to changewindows.org you can see it actually has a lot of development 

 

 

 

[ManIkWeet]

34 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

the Netflix app does work on mobile, I have it installed. The only tile that doesn't always update for me is the calendar it gets stuck om the day before sometimes. 

 

I do have a bug where the keyboard doesn't always show in edge without closing the app first. if you go to changewindows.org you can see it actually has a lot of development 

 

 

 

I never said Netflix doesn't work. I said they are not using the UWP desktop app.

 

For me the email tile doesn't update right now, it seems those 2 tiles are the most common.

 

Sure, if you go to a Microsoft fan site, you'll suddenly see a lot of positive news about things like Windows Phone, people are committed, not Microsoft.

[vorticalbox]

Just now, ManIkWeet said:

I never said Netflix doesn't work. I said they are not using the UWP desktop app.

 

For me the email tile doesn't update right now, it seems those 2 tiles are the most common.

 

Sure, if you go to a Microsoft fan site, you'll suddenly see a lot of positive news about things like Windows Phone, people are committed, not Microsoft.

changewindows isn't a fan fan it keeps track of all the changes in windows PC, Xbox, Mobile and holo, it's funny because when mobile updates it says click here to find out more and it just takes you to the help website rather than a list of the changes. Thats how I found that website.

 

I do agree though they are developing and changing it based on feed back they haven't put their money where their mouth is and really push windows phone on us like they did with windows 10.

[LAwLz]

8 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Yeah it's taking a while but it is slowly getting there

I am not sure I agree.

It seems to stay about the same. For every developer that joins it seems like one abandons it.

 

 

11 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

Didn't know android support this, It didn't when I had my last android just over a year a go

I am 99% sure you were just not looking in the right menu. It's under security.

Here is a several year old guide on how to do it, and I am fairly sure I did it on my Galaxy S 2, which I had like 5 years ago. I mean, here is a guide for Jelly Bean.

 

1 hour ago, vorticalbox said:

GPS was just an example but check the screen shots, you can see that you can allow or block and app from using and part you like even system apps.

Yes, you can do this on Android too. But you are completely ignoring the fairly significant privacy issues that exist with Windows 10 as a whole. You can't say it allows for full control over privacy and then just go "look, I can turn off GPS for one app" and just ignore the data collection happening in the OS (not third party apps).

 

This is what it looks like in Android, and all apps have all permissions off by default. When an app needs access to something for the first time, it will ask the user "do you want to allow your browser to access your camera" for example.

[Thony]

Well, the only way to succeed is to keep trying and never give up. The would be no Harry Potter if the writer would give up after first few NOs from several publishers.

 

I surely wont be one testing W10 mobile so fuck them

[vorticalbox]

5 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I am not sure I agree.

It seems to stay about the same. For every developer that joins it seems like one abandons it.

 

 

I am 99% sure you were just not looking in the right menu. It's under security.

Here is a several year old guide on how to do it, and I am fairly sure I did it on my Galaxy S 2, which I had like 5 years ago. I mean, here is a guide for Jelly Bean.

 

Yes, you can do this on Android too. But you are completely ignoring the fairly significant privacy issues that exist with Windows 10 as a whole. You can't say it allows for full control over privacy and then just go "look, I can turn off GPS for one app" and just ignore the data collection happening in the OS (not third party apps).

 

This is what it looks like in Android, and all apps have all permissions off by default. When an app needs access to something for the first time, it will ask the user "do you want to allow your browser to access your camera" for example.

does android have one for background apps? Windows phone allows you to stop any app from staying open once you close it. From what i remember on android you pick the app and then can change its settings? seems on windows you have the feature then turn off the app for that one.

 

My Lg G2 definitely doesn't have SD encryption only the phone storage.

[LAwLz]

11 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

does android have one for background apps? Windows phone allows you to stop any app from staying open once you close it. From what i remember on android you pick the app and then can change its settings? seems on windows you have the feature then turn off the app for that one.

I am not sure but I don't think it does. I don't see how that is relevant to your original point though (that Windows Mobile gives the user full control over their privacy, and Google doesn't).

 

31 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

My Lg G2 definitely doesn't have SD encryption only the phone storage.

That's strange. Here is LG's guide on how to do it for one of their other phones.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

How could anyone think MS is abandoning its mobile OS? They have just released a "Creators Update" for it.