So, Windows Phone 7.5. I love it - warts and all. It has its issues, but it's so distinctive and fun it's pretty hard to not like it. So, for me, those three other people, and that cow, Microsoft today announced Windows Phone 8. It brings lots of cool new features, is built upon the Windows NT kernel and shares much of its lower levels with Windows 8, and oh, not a single current Windows Phone 7 device will be upgraded to it.
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Member since:2005-07-11
Maybe not officially, but a lot of phones that shipped with Android 1.5 or 1.6 got custom ROMs with 2.1, 2.2, and even 2.3 (like my wife's LG Eve).
And you don't need new hardware to run a new version of Android. But you need new hardware in order to run the new version of WinPhone. Very big difference!
So, in the span of 3 years, mobile Windows users have been forced through three incompatible "upgrades": Windows CE/Mobile/PocketPC/whatever to Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8. Each one requiring new hardware.
Member since:2005-11-14
Member since:2005-11-13
At least on Android, you have a decent shot of getting updates via custom roms. But still, the lack of updates sucks on Android, and it'll suck on Windows Phone too.
As for WP8, the feature that was most crucial (IMO) was porting over WinRT, so that you could run Metro apps on phone, tablet, and desktop. Apparently, that didn't happen this time around. *boo* *hiss* MS, WTF are you waiting for?
Member since:2010-04-06
Member since:2005-09-01
The problem is elevated by low WP7 market uptake.
Both developers and users are basically screwed.
The developers produced the 100k apps in good faith that MS (and IDC, techblogs, etc) mires will come true and WP7 jump to double digits is just around the corner.
Now they have no other choice than to start over and switch to WP8 (or the competition will beat them using native WP8 APIs) or they are left serving miniscule audience.
The WP7 users who bought into the ecosystem in good faith that the app situation will eventually catch up to IOS are screwed bc developers will abandon the platform in no time knowing it's dead in the water.
Nokia is screwed bc MS has osbourned them for the 2nd time after Elop did it 1.5 y ago.
Android fragmentation is not that critical as majority devices at least got bump to 2.1 and that's where most important apis (including GL) got introduced and native code was supported almost from the beginning.
Edited 2012-06-21 12:44 UTC
Member since:2006-01-06
Both developers and users are basically screwed.
The developers produced the 100k apps in good faith that MS (and IDC, techblogs, etc) mires will come true and WP7 jump to double digits is just around the corner.
Now they have no other choice than to start over and switch to WP8 (or the competition will beat them using native WP8 APIs) or they are left serving miniscule audience.
The WP7 users who bought into the ecosystem in good faith that the app situation will eventually catch up to IOS are screwed bc developers will abandon the platform in no time knowing it's dead in the water.
Nokia is screwed bc MS has osbourned them for the 2nd time after Elop did it 1.5 y ago.
Android fragmentation is not that critical as majority devices at least got bump to 2.1 and that's where most important apis (including GL) got introduced and native code was supported almost from the beginning.
C'mon, admit it. You didn't bother to read the article. Because I don't see how you could have missed this glaring statement.
Member since:
2006-03-20
All the noise about "another platform upgrade" is a little overstated... Almost none of the pre-2.3 Android phones were upgraded to something newer, and even a lot of the 2.3 phones will never see ICS....
What Microsoft is doing isn't that much different, only they are deciding for the OEMs instead of letting them decide. Maybe not nice, but definitely not something new...