Windows Mobile: You Lost me at 6.5 (Rant)
I have a problem. (Well, several actually, but let’s not go there). You see, I am an ardent Microsoft supporter, through and through. I have grown up using Microsoft products. In fact, I am in a minority that thinks that Microsoft has actually been good for the tech industry,and technology in general. They produced some of the best software ever (Excel, .NET) and were, in the early days, extremely developer centric. Microsoft “got it”. They realised early on that their success depended on Developers using their system. They were instrumental in bringing out portable devices that could be used in Line of Business apps, and even drove adoption of consumer electronics.
But they Lost the Plot
But somewhere along the way, they lost it. Google saw this, and pounced. Microsoft, so satisfied with itself and it’s successes, ignored what they did not, even could not, see. The internet caught them with their pants around their ankles in the toilet after a drunken night out. They were befuddled, and like all befuddled, hung-over people, swung out at the nearest. In that case, it was Netscape. When they won that fight, they sat back and smirked. They surveyed the tech landscape, and thought that all was good with them. They were on top, and they could see everywhere. Everyone feared them. they were the king of the land.
Except that they weren’t. Google snuck up behind them, and started to nip at their heels. When Microsoft turned to face this new challenge, others saw, and they were no longer scared of Microsoft. Firefox came out swinging, and landed what I would call a death blow to Internet Explorer. [Seriously Microsoft –> just give up. Webkit is handing you your ass every single day, and you do nothing to combat it, expect to sit there and say that “our browser is ok” . It isn’t. Is is slow. It crashes so frequently on a default install of Windows 7 that it is unbelievable. You had the lead and blew it. Get over it. Concede and move on]
While that was happening, Apple quietly watched, and waited, and took their opportunity. They saw the dis-focus that Microsoft had assumed, and narrowed themselves to one thing: Produce the best music player that you can possibly produce. Work through every use case you can think of, and make sure that the software and hardware work. Simply. Easily. They saw something that Microsoft had forgotten. The average person does not care about complexity. They care about simplicity. Enter the iPod. The one device that has totally changed the game for Microsoft. the one device that has turned the light on Microsoft, and what we see now is an organisation that has lost consumer focus, and instead gone for the big money. They have turned into IBM. Plain and simple. They have abandoned their consumer focus in favour of the Enterprise.
Now there is nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, that is where the big money is: servers operating systems, Office, and developer tools.
But no one told Microsoft that. They still, as an organisation, see themselves as relevant in the consumer space. Now this may be true of Office and Windows 7. Windows 7 is truly a great product. It is what Vista was meant to be, and brings so much more simplicity to the operating system, that people will “get it”. However, when you cast around inside Microsoft further from the Windows 7 and Office shining lights, there is a different landscape.
Certainly Not Media Savvy
The landscape is dotted with individual empires that are competing in a winner loses all competition, oblivious to the forces outside that are ignoring everything that MS do in favour of doing it right. What was Microsoft's answer to the iPod? the Zune. A device that is only available in the US, where Apple has already won the war. They failed abysmally to take what might have been a good concept 4 years ago, and turn it into a true competitor. They compete within Microsoft for a slice of the media pie. So, instead of saying “hang on a second guys, why don’t we make the media experience consistent and absolutely awesome across ALL our platforms.” But what do they do instead? They develop Zune, which is a niche product at best. They stop developing Windows Media Player completely (where is the integrated podcast support? Where is the integrated syncing support? [I know it is there, but you try and figure out how it works. Plug in a phone and try it. Plug in an iPod and it just works. No mucking about]). They produce another media player with Media Centre (which I think is good, but once again a niche application. Very few people are going to hook up their PC to a TV and use this –> We have Tivo, Foxtel, others. Why do we need this as well?). They also have a different media player on XBox. (Don’t get me started with this. Home Groups is a totally broken mess. I have yet to get it to work. I cannot share my media with my XBox, because I happen to use my PC for virtualisation, which means I have an un-trusted network, which means that Home Groups does not work.)
And then we come to Windows Mobile 6.5
Then we come to Windows Mobile. Poor old windows mobile. Poor, sad, old Windows Mobile. An aging OS for an aging paradigm.
I bought a top of the line Windows Mobile phone 4 months ago. It looks good, has a kick-ass keyboard, an awesome screen, so much latent potential. But it came with Windows Mobile 6.1. And it had a dumb-ass USB connector instead of a 3.5mm jack. Find me a Windows Phone that has not been released in the last few months that has one. Go on. I dare you.
When I bought the phone, there was a promise to release a 6.5 upgrade. Awesome I thought. Finally going to do something about this. But I had to wait until mid December,as I happen to live in an area of the world which is quite frequently forgotten when it comes to these sorts of things. Anyway, I eagerly installed, and was immediately disappointed. The All Programs menu is so ridiculously awful, I cannot believe that it was released. There is no way to organise it. Scanning down the list jars the brain, when one has been conditioned to see these things in an order array, not offset. I cannot get used to it. It appears totally random, and confuses me. [Some people may say that I am easily confused –> they may have a point, but if I am confused, how would the average consumer feel?]
But Where’s The Podcast?
But it doesn’t end there. I decided to try and use this as a replacement for my iPod’s. you know, use it as a PDA, a Phone, and a Media device.
So after finally figuring out how to get Windows Media Player to sync podcasts (after actually managing these in iTunes), you would expect the same sort of functionality that people have come to expect with an iPod. take this scenario for instance>
1. Listen to a podcast on the way to work in the car.
2. At work, switch to a playlist of music to code by
3. On the way home, switch back to the podcast that you were listening to.
Now I would have expected the podcast to start off where it left off. But no. It starts from the beginning again. I mean, honestly. That is so totally broken it is embarrassing. And no one seems to have the balls to tell MS this. At least, no one inside MS. They all wring their hands and say that there is nothing wrong with this, and plead with us to wait for the next version, where it will be better. Except that it won’t. It will only be available on new devices, so us people who tried to keep the faith get slapped in the face.
There’s No App for That
Then we have the Marketplace. An attempt so piss poor that a University student would be embarrassed. I mean, really. Why do I only see 100 apps? How many does the Apple App Store have in my locale? Greater than 90, 000. Sure, most are rubbish, but they are there. That is the point, Apple is backing their product. No-one is backing the Microsoft product. No-one appears to be backing Microsoft [At least, that is how it feels]. And as for the design of it. Really. Amateurish at best. There are problems on problems. Do not tell me to be patient. We have been patient for years with no support from you.
And We Come to the Crux
So, after much soul searching, and wringing of hands, of feeling guilt over abandoning an old friend, I have made the decision. I am going to get an iPhone. I know, I feel dirty, and traitorous. But I am so sick of sluggish performance. Of a device that offers no support. Of software that is so tied down to an old paradigm.
The prospect of having to wait for another 12 months before Microsoft “get their *** together” must strike dejection and fear into all Windows Mobile followers. I truly feel so very sorry for the developers that have worked so hard to try and turn this pig around. They have tried to work miracles, but have been let down repeatedly by their partners and Microsoft management. They truly do have my sympathy.
However, I, for one, am no longer content with feeling unloved and unsupported by Microsoft. Microsoft, come back and talk to me when you have real story to tell. One that actually resonates with your customers.
Let the flames begin :)