I'm with you, Microsoft is a great and innovative company but they really dropped the mobile ball, and the other players like Android are now really on top of things. The last 4 years with Windows Mobile was a love/hate relationship. I took the jump and am loving my Motorola Droid.

Besides what John said, producing another OS in a year doesn't seem that unreasonable. After all, Apple's big upgrades took a year each, too.

Microsoft's problem is that they don't release small updates fast enough and that you have to wipe your device to install most updates and all upgrades.

The only real reason to complain about WM 7 coming out a year after WM 6.5 really has nothing to do with WM 7 -- it's because WM 6.5 is perceived as being so far behind the competition and WM 7 is the release that's supposed (we'll see) to catch up.

Steve

I'm not sure that I would characterize either 6.5 or 6.1 as a big upgrade to version 6. 6.5 was only released because 7 was taking so long. (See http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/03/05/b...). Version 7 was announced in early 2008, and it will take two full years just to be released to OEMs. It's taking Microsoft far too long, and I'm thinking that merely catching up will not be good enough to be anything more than a fizzle (i.e., they will not grow much share, if they grow share at all.)

Oh, and Microsoft's big problem isn't so much that you need to wipe your device to install upgrades - it's that upgrades and updates are not provided at all! You may get lucky to get the next minor release, if you buy a device close to the next release date.

Oops, I forgot something.

Version 7 was announced in early 2008[....]

Can you link me to that announcement? As far as I know, WM 7 was never formally announced. If you're talking about leaks being "announcements", I recall hearing about Photon (WM 7) before WM 6 was released. That's well over two years ago (which I suppose just bolsters the argument about Microsoft being slow :D).

Steve

I'm not sure that I would characterize either 6.5 or 6.1 as a big upgrade to version 6. 6.5 was only released because 7 was taking so long. (See http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/03/05/b...). Version 7 was announced in early 2008, and it will take two full years just to be released to OEMs.

It's "big" in the sense that it's Microsoft's more-or-less annual release of Windows Mobile. And it's not really trivial -- a new locking screen, a new Start menu, a new browser, widgets, new online services (My Phone, the Mobile Marketplace, etc.), a more finger-friendly UI. That's pretty good for a "point" release.

And it's a partial step on the way to WM 7. Regardless of why it was released, it was released and brought several new features to the platform.

It's taking Microsoft far too long, and I'm thinking that merely catching up will not be good enough to be anything more than a fizzle (i.e., they will not grow much share, if they grow share at all.)

Yes, it is taking them too long. That's why they put out WM 6.5.

As for catching up not being good enough, it seems to be good enough for Android. What does Android really provide beyond the iPhone? Multitasking and what else?

Or what about RIM? What has RIM done to take them beyond most other smartphones except for good E-mail? Most BlackBerry devices don't even have touchscreens, right?

Oh, and Microsoft's big problem isn't so much that you need to wipe your device to install upgrades - it's that upgrades and updates are not provided at all! You may get lucky to get the next minor release, if you buy a device close to the next release date.

You're wrong about Microsoft not providing upgrades; Microsoft provides updates and upgrades throughout the software lifecycle -- to the OEMs. It's up to the OEMs (and carriers, for phones) to release them.

You're also wrong about larger upgrades not ever being released to consumers. Some OEMs and carriers do release them. Dell and HP put out WM 5 upgrades for certain devices, various OEMs put out WM 6 upgrades for WM 5 devices, HTC and Samsung have said they're releasing WM 6.5 upgrades to some devices, etc. My WM 5 Motorola Q got three or four minor updates (although no upgrade to WM 6).

The policies vary of course, and in general you probably won't get more than one major upgrade. For people who buy a new phone every two years, though (which I dare say is a lot of us here), one upgrade is probably good enough (if you time your purchase to get a new OS version with the new device).

However, you do allude to another part of Microsoft's problem -- they can't push updates directly to the consumer (not in the technological sense -- Windows Update is on the phones -- but in the process sense). To be competitive, they have to fix that (and there were employment ads floating around a while back looking for people to do just that). I hope WM 7 will have that.

Steve

I didn't say that Microsoft wasn't providing them; I said that a big problem for Microsoft was that they were not being provided. As a consumer, I don't give a flying fig who's responsible for that; all that I know is that it is not happening. It seems obvious that, despite the fact that they are provided, if OEMs must do something with the patches, they must be overly complicated to implement.

As for the date, see http://pocketpccentral.net/windows_mobile_7_bri... (originally posted January 2008.) Note that this was six months after the release of iPhone OS; this was also several months after Apple announced that an application SDK was in the pipeline. Microsoft knew all of this was coming, and still did not recognize the crapstorm that not updating WM would leave them in (or recognized it and thought that it wouldn't threaten them.) Rumor is that WM7 goes to OEMs in early 2010, to consumer devices in about a year. Based on past history, it seems likely that Apple will have iPhone OS 4 available in early summer, right between those two dates. Microsoft may be catching up to something that will pass them by the time people can buy them.

I didn't say that Microsoft wasn't providing them; I said that a big problem for Microsoft was that they were not being provided.

When you say "Microsoft's big problem isn't so much that you need to wipe your device to install upgrades - it's that upgrades and updates are not provided at all!", it sure sounds like you think that Microsoft isn't providing them. Qualifying it by saying something like, "Microsoft may be shipping the updates, but the OEMs or carriers aren't providing them" would have made it clear what you meant.

As a consumer, I don't give a flying fig who's responsible for that; all that I know is that it is not happening.

Agreed, from a consumer point of view. However, as somebody knowledgeable about the space, commenting on a blog dealing with the space, you should properly put the blame where it belongs.

I suppose you can argue that Microsoft should require the OEMs to make updates available (provided the hardware can support them), but that might just upset the OEMs.

It seems obvious that, despite the fact that they are provided, if OEMs must do something with the patches, they must be overly complicated to implement.

Really? That's only one possible reason. Others include wanting the customer to buy a new device (more profit for the OEM), not wanting to have to provide support for people updating (more profit for the OEM), thinking the costs involved providing the updates won't be covered by what they can charge for the updates (more profit for the OEM), etc. None of those have anything to do with how complicated the updates are to implement.

As for the date, see http://pocketpccentral.net/windows_mobile_7_bri... (originally posted January 2008).

I specifically asked for an announcement (meaning an official statement by Microsoft), not a rumor. I didn't see anything from Microsoft in there.

As I said, Photoon was rumored well before that, so I have no doubt that Microsoft was working on something and that it's taken them a long time to produce it. However, I don't believe that it was ever "announced" as you claimed.

Steve

Why is this such a big shock? Microsoft announced the "end of 2010" date for WinMo 7 at least 6months ago. The Spring 2010 RTM has also been bouncing around for awhile.

I'm also anxious for WinMo 7, but again not new news.