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Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 Handsets

MS Technologies will own

I think Windows Phone is going to do great on the app side. Look ak their launch lineup. I think it already is impressive.

Remember that Microsoft puts all of its development technologies in the hands of developers. That is, the whole .net framework, Silverlight, XNA, Windows Presentation Foundation and so on. Top this with Visual Studio 2010 and all of the worldwide .net community and knowledge, and soon the MS market will be flooded by aps.

Microsoft's frameworks and technologies are a behemoth not to be underestimated. Look ak the way they handle networking and multiplayer on the Xbox 360. Way ahead of what the Apple Games Center can offer.

And in my opinion, C# is a way more powerful and usable programming language than Objective C.
 
*LTD* said:
Which is a lovely way of saying fansite. ;)

You can sugarcoat it all you like. "Apple information and discussion portal." "Mac news and Apple products discourse area", etc. LOL

It's a fansite, just like AppleInsider and all the rest.

But by all means, continue to pretend and then complain.
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Perfect response from someone who sees things in Black and White. Kudos for not faltering! (pssst. we're not the ones pretending)
 
*LTD* said:
Which is a lovely way of saying fansite. ;)

You can sugarcoat it all you like. "Apple information and discussion portal." "Mac news and Apple products discourse area", etc. LOL

It's a fansite, just like AppleInsider and all the rest.

But by all means, continue to pretend and then complain.
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It doesn't mean that everyone posting on here is a full-on Apple disciple.

Away from those who's homes are packed full of Apple goodies, there are many people here who own a Mac but choose not to use an iPhone. There are also a lot of people who have an iPhone or iPod but use a Windows computer.

They all have an interest in Apple news and rumours but they aren't all singing from the same hymn sheet. :)
 
cmvsm said:
I haven't seen Microsoft on any of my recent top lists of highly sought after companies. The stock has been in the $21-$25 range for years now. It was in this range when Apple was sub $100 per share, and now its looking just shy of $300 per share. You are telling me shareholders are happy with this? LOL....I wouldn't be at all if a rival company had tripled their share value while I remained flat over 3-5 years. This seems to be related to Ballmer's reign. Earnings growth for MS is half of what it was last year, and I doubt its going to get any stronger with the way things are going.

To someone else's point, it just seems like MS has been following for so long now, it is a memory of when they actually lead a revolutionary idea or product line, and they are always viewed as being late to the party, or showing up with a half wrapped gift. Even Windows 7 was viewed, and still is, as a rip off of OSX, with the constant question of why it took them so long to get that right.

MS needs a facelift from a variety of perspectives, and that probably involves the removal of Ballmer and a vast house cleaning of R&D so that MS can actually come up with an original idea and begin leading the marketplace again. Going to be hard with Apple in the mix, as they seem to have the right combination to keep churning out great ideas and innovation. Maybe that's the difference...MS never had a true competitor in the innovation department until about 5 years ago, and they don't know how to deal with it. Gates might know...Ballmer seems ill equipped.
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This sums it up. Companies at the top of their game don't need to continually deal with embarrassment. MS has been beset by it for several years now, and what's worse, at the hands of a rival a fraction of their size with a fraction of their R&D (but now at nearly $60 billion more in value.)

It's gotta hurt when Ballmer walks into a press conference only to see a room full of Macs and Apple gear. Which is becoming par for the course.

It's gotta hurt that Win PCs have been locked out of the Premium end of the market. Those with $$ to spend are buying Macs. Windows PCs have been effectively relegated to bargain-bin status. Just look at the cheap netbook push. It's a sad state of affairs.
 
Not a bad effort

I think that WP7 is a decent effort, but being so late to the party will certainly make this an uphill climb for Microsoft. I at least give them credit for creating their own look distinctive look and not just cloning the iPhone.

Personally, I don't get too bent out of shape about slight cosmetic differences. For me, it's how the whole user experience is. History has shown that because Apple makes the entire widget, software and hardware, it is easier to keep everything working well.

Furthermore, I personally don't need the choice of a dozen or more handsets. One that works well is all that I need. All of the phones are much better today than they were before the iPhone and we can thank Apple for that. That said, as nice as some of the competing phones are, I'm still very happy with my iPhone. It may not be perfect, but it's still far better than the rest for my needs.
 
kdarling said:
Not sure how you can think they're the same.

  • The iPhone is app centric with a static homescreen.
  • WP7 is data centric with a dynamic homescreen.

Different philosophies.
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yeah, I love the iPhone but I do think it could stand to take a page from the competition with a dynamic home screen -- weather, number of emails/phone calls, TwitFace updates, etc.
 
In my opinion Microsoft have lost the plot. They always seem to make simple things so complicated.

Why make 7 different phones when they could make one or two? It is like their operating system. Which version is best for you? or their Office programme, which does so much, yet the average user hardly uses any of the extras.

Most people just want something that is simple and intuitive, whether it is newbie or pro. Most of all something that is a pleasure to use. Not something that might have all the bells and whistles but tends to crash or takes ages to start or is prone to viruses etc. etc etc.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad Microsoft is in the mobile market. Competition will force prices down. That is a good thing.
 
*LTD* said:
Their long-term success in the consumer sector depends on mobile strategy. Unless they're alright with just making a game console and such.
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Guess so. Guess that's why they get money for EVERY IPHONE SOLD,
because, well, Apple had to license Exchange support to ever really make it into the business world.

But I forgot - stupid businesses not going the "Mobile Me"-road, eh? :rolleyes:
 
Nordichund said:
In my opinion Microsoft have lost the plot. They always seem to make simple things so complicated.

Why make 7 different phones when they could make one or two? It is like their operating system. Which version is best for you? or their Office programme, which does so much, yet the average user hardly uses any of the extras.
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It's because they lack what Apple has in abundance. The intangibles that occur before a product is brought to market. Vision, philosophy, a clear idea about what the relationship should be between people and technology. Apple is dead-set on humanizing tech. Microsoft is dead-set on cramming "features" onto a box of circuits of whatever size and then playing the volume game with third party hardware manufacturers like Dell or Acer. What else is new.
 
*LTD* said:
It's gotta hurt that Win PCs have been locked out of the Premium end of the market. Those with $$ to spend are buying Macs. Windows PCs have been effectively relegated to bargain-bin status. Just look at the cheap netbook push. It's a sad state of affairs.
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The first part of your commentary isn't far off the course. But the above quoted? Your understanding of market share and demographics are so far off the course it's sad.

March 2010 -
marketshare0410.jpg


Sad state of affairs? Apple is increasing (and very well) their market share. But it's barely a dent in comparison. That's fact. Apple is definitely more profitable because their products are at a premium price point in comparison. Both companies are appealing to different markets - which is not only GOOD business but practical. There's plenty of business to go around because people LIKE choices.

Honestly - would you prefer/like/want Microsoft and other competing companies to whither and die leaving Apple alone to be the only company you could buy technology from?

You're such an apple enthusiast - and one of their moniker's is "Think Different" - but you just want people to all think the same... as you. Ironic.
 
Yeah

This always seems to be M$'s modus operandus: show up to the party late, and try to buy your way in. Stand back long enough to see if Apple's new product really sells, then put out an over-priced imitation. Ack... --JB
 
"Different" kind of phone...

As in" Think different"? Late, Ballmer, very late... And sad...
 
I understand why a Windows phone story was included in this site. Can we have a rule that says any picture of Ballmer must be photoshopped to have him dressed like a clown?
 
Dusse said:
Oh, please. It's the same for everything. We have the fandroids, the Playstation fanboys, the Xbox fanboys, the Microsoft fanboys etc etc. All of them are that annoying.

Apple fanboys tend to stay on their on turf most of the time though. But just look at this: this article got a rating of (177 Positives; 227 Negatives), while the iPad got the rating (221 Positives; 410 Negatives).
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How would you know that Apple fanboys stay on their own turf usually? Do you study these people?:D

But seriously I doubt there is any pattern. Windows forums will have apple fanboys for sure, its just how it is.
 
*LTD* said:
No. But having a powerful, effective and successful mobile strategy is key for future growth and investor confidence. This isn't ten years ago. If MS fumbles this time (again), it'll mean trouble. Like others have said before . . . a slow, ponderous decline. Everyone's transitioning to mobile platforms of various kinds. MS doesn't have one at this point until these phones hit the shelves. The Zune failure doesn't count. Where would more delays, failures and false starts leave MS? Still milking the old operating-system-Wintel paradigm? The Windows on a beige box with a monitor game is going out of style. And you can tell. MS is scrambling to shove a full OS onto a mobile device, which is pure comedy. That leaves Office bloatware, the enterprise sector, and gaming. Losing in the mobile space this time around would be a huge blow.

Now I'm not sure how one would define "losing" in this sense, but not offering anything to firmly and with extreme prejudice leapfrog iOS and iPhone hardware is not a good first step.
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Where do you see MS 'shove a full OS onto a mobile device'? I really, really want to know. If you're going to make a claim like that, back it up with details. It doesn't have copy/paste. It doesn't have multitasking. It doesn't have desktop-like windows or start menus a la Windows Mobile 6.5. WP7 is as different from a full OS as possible, more so than iOS or Android ever was.

Apple is the one that needs to worry because WP7 is attacking the consumer space much more so than the technophile/corporate space. Android can keep all the tech tinkerers happy, and even then it will still do a decent job at attracting consumers who absolutely need to customize their own phones. WP7 is attacking the one strength that iOS has had over Android all this time, which is gaming. They're paying huge money to get big, 3rd-party devs to make exclusives for WP7, and syncing that with its xbox live platform which has a massive installed base already familiar with the Live brand. Apple has nothing to compete on that front.

At the same time, WP7 isn't going to experience the hardware incompatibility issues of Android because it is keeping strict requirements on hardware across the board. Thus you've got a mobile OS that won't have the fragmentation issues that Android has had, yet one that still offers hardware choice. Best of both worlds.

As an aside, Android has had a meteoric rise in market share over the past year because many people want something different from iOS. And WP7 is different enough to make people consider choosing an alternative from iOS even more. You can call the tiles 'big icons', the large-screen scrolling gimmicky, but at the end of the day it's still fresh from what iOS has (and Android as well). That's why WP7 will not be a failure, at minimum. And with future updates such as copy/paste, multitasking (inevitable), and rooting/jailbreaking from the tinkering community for the rest, WP7 should find itself a considerable market share.
 
maflynn said:
I disagree with that supposition. I know plenty of people who are particularly non technical and have opted for an android phone. Not because they're locked into verizon/t-mobile but because the phone offers a good solid UI, with lots of apps, more flexibility then iOS and it works.
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But you still agree that Star Wars > Star Trek, right? :)
 
Iv got to admit i am slightly impressed with WP7, i like the facebook integration and it does look very different, no doubt they will sell a ton of phones, i dont think Apple have anything to worry about, its more of an issue for Google than Apple as they dont have the fanboy factor like apple does, no matter how bad steve treats us we still buy, the C,C & P in early 2011 made me laugh as did not Ballmer comment on this when apple did not have it? not that easy after all it seems.

i also a little shocked Apple has let MS have there moment with out announcing anything, i was expecting a Iphone 5 to turn up on a bar somewhere, perhaps the Apple MS relationship is aligned against Google
 
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