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Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

engadget.com

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Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#51

Post by IanDrake »

sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

>focus on building the ultimate business phone? That's what WP8 is. It has much better support for enterprise systems.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#52

Post by laconian »

desigooner wrote: post #30

I get a chuckle out of reading people's views w.r.t. Microsoft. There are a good number who complain about lack of innovation & how Microsoft invests too much time in supporting legacy systems and that they should totally get rid of the CE core. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where Microsoft is stupid to stop supporting certain platforms because they're clearly not thinking about the users who use those s…

I think this is inevitable when a company targets a diverse set of demographics. What works for one customer might be disastrous for another.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#53

Post by rome »

sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

Windows 8 has native Active Directory support for device and user management. That along with ActiveSync and I think the phones and tablets are for the enterprise.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#54

Post by meta »

sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

I don't think twittering teens is their target market.

"To help tell the story, we introduce our muses, Anna, Miles and their son, Luca. They represent classic Life Maximizers – busy personally and busy professionally, constantly juggling priorities, settled rather than seeking, and valuing technology as a means to an end, a way to get things done." http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=189338

And most of the "screenshot" images I have seen involve young families with 'hard working' parents that are trying to balance work and life 'in more demanding times'. Kids are almost always featured (not the target, but within).

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#55

Post by pook1e »

sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

> I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune).

I don't see how they're trying to out-Apple Apple in this case. They're releasing a mobile operating system for third party vendors to create hardware for. Remove "mobile" and this is the exact same thing they've been doing all along.

> Microsoft are kings of productivity software and the corporate desktop. They own business communications. They own corporate email. So when it comes to revitalizing their phone product, they focus on the twittering tweens?

Are you forgetting that they're also still king of the consumer desktop? I highly doubt that their 85% market share[1][2] is business alone. Apple isn't selling more computers than all manufacturers combined[3].

[1] http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-shar... [2] http://www.statowl.com/operating_system_market_share.php [3] http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/hp-reclaims-top-spot-in-p...

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#56

Post by noblethrasher »

sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

There are a few billion people living in presently up-and-coming developing countries that will jump straight to the ubiquitous smartphone era instead of first going through the ubiquitous "personal computer" phase.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#57

Post by erikpukinskis »

saturdaysaint wrote: post #33
wavephorm wrote: post #19

I imagine a lot of RIM and Google executives are getting a twitch in their eye right about now. If these new devices live up to their hype I can easily see them supplant Android as the "anything but Apple" option.

Yep. The real tragedy of fragmentation is that Android still lacks any kind of brand power - they're the phone equivalent of yesterday's faceless beige windows towers. If Microsoft actually ship this in 2012, and have someone mildly competent in marketing, I wouldn't be surprised to see most American users once again choosing between MS and Apple.

That's not a tragedy for Google, that's their game plan. They want their apps and services on every "faceless beige box" in the world. The market for cheap generic consumer electronics is not going away.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#58

Post by sjwright »

meta wrote: post #54
sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

I don't think twittering teens is their target market. "To help tell the story, we introduce our muses, Anna, Miles and their son, Luca. They represent classic Life Maximizers – busy personally and busy professionally, constantly juggling priorities, settled rather than seeking, and valuing technology as a means to an end, a way to get things done." http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=189338 And most of the "scree…

> I don't think twittering teens is their target market.

It definitely was with the Kin.

It might as well have been with WP7.

It's good to see this has changed somewhat with WP8.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#59

Post by betterth »

easyfrag wrote: post #31
cryptoz wrote: post #6

> incompatible with current devices Interesting. This may well be the right move for the long-term, but they're going to end up with a lot of angry early adopters right now. Android upgrades look nice all of a sudden.

More importantly Microsoft just Osborned Nokia's current product line. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_effect

They didn't have to! -- what they just did was screw themselves in the branding (and that's it).

They've created a new update, Windows Phone 7.8 that will rollout to current Nokia devices and other Windows Phone 7.5 devices.

It will include many of the new UX features, such as the new home page, etc.

But as WP8 is changed so much on a fundamental level, it makes no sense to port that to legacy hardware. They're reenvisioning the OS -- so the current Nokia phones won't support higher resolutions and multicore processors. That's ok! They don't have the hardware!

This is exactly what Apple does -- limited updates for legacy devices.

Only Microsoft was stupid enough to call it Windows 7.8 instead of Windows 8 (for legacy devices).

It's all in the branding and since they're bringing up the major features that legacy devices support, they should have just called it Windows 8. Consumers don't care about the distinction, if it looks like WP8, it's WP8.

Re: Microsoft introduces Windows Phone 8

#60

Post by sjwright »

noblethrasher wrote: post #56
sjwright wrote: post #43

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he made it really clear that Apple's job wasn't to beat Microsoft. Apple then delivered on that assessment and created entirely new markets for themselves. Sadly, somehow, Microsoft went all XOR on our asses. I'm still baffled about how Microsoft is still trying to out-Apple Apple when they've repeatedly proven it's a disastrous strategy (see: Zune). Microsoft are kings of productiv…

There are a few billion people living in presently up-and-coming developing countries that will jump straight to the ubiquitous smartphone era instead of first going through the ubiquitous "personal computer" phase.

Awesome business strategy: compete with cheap unlicensed Android phones.
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