As PC prospects decline, Microsoft has been moving toward a hybrid, cross-platform future with an eye toward opportunities in the server closet and the cloud. But the question remains, How might Microsoft evolve to get there? "It's tempting to say the past five years has seen Microsoft's desktop-centric strategy slowly give way to a pell-mell free-for-all made up of equal parts desktop, server, mobile hardware and software, cloud services, and auxiliary systems like the Xbox. Truth is, intention has always been present. It's only now, thanks to major upheavals in consumer tech and the cloud, that Microsoft's broad-spectrum plays are becoming more evident and critical. [...] What may be new for Microsoft is the need to better cohere its strategy around an ever-widening array of services and technologies, especially as the breadth of competition it faces widens. Most of all, if there ever comes a time to stop being a consumer-oriented company, Microsoft shouldn't flinch. A future where Microsoft doesn't make hardware or end-user programs seems remote, but there was a time when IBM abandoning its PC business seemed jarring, too." And if Microsoft can't quite cohere its strategy, the best means to this end may be to divide.
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Member since:2009-04-01
> Apple only had to make a few developers rich to generate incentive for everyone to make iOS apps and games. Microsoft is late the the party and their platform so far offers very little benefit compared to iOS or Android, so why should developers care? They need reasons to care, not obstacles.
Because there are a lot of Windows users out there? Not just Windows RT users, but Windows 8 users can also use Windows Store Apps.
> Because Microsoft is not Apple and is not Google. Apple (willingly or unwillingly) attracted developers by making sure they earn a ton of money at first. Google made Android development extremely accessible and their entry level phones are cheap. Blackberry doesn't have either so they gave money and devices to developers. Microsoft sat on their ass and did nothing, so developers mostly don't care.
I don't understand this. If I have already made money on iOS/ Android, then Windows Phone is just another system. If I can afford to buy iPhone/ cheap Android then I can also afford Windows Phone. If I haven't begin my mobile apps development, then all 4 systems are just the same. May I know how do I get BB10 device now, suppose I am interested in developing apps for it using HTML5/JS?
> You are again missing the point. It's not about performance, it's about ease of porting. Developers love learning new platform and getting their code to run on them. It's a neat challenge, except for the fact that their code has to be almost completely rewritten for Windows Phone because the APIs differ way too much (Microsoft Propertary vs Standards). Blackberry is trying to make sure that developers can port their games easily by supporting Flash, C++, Java, ObjC, OpenGL, etc. Microsoft, again, Isn't doing anything.
As I remember, WP8 supports C++. There are a lot of game engine have been already/ will be ported to WP8.
> Anything less than WP8 is unusable for development or porting. It relies on technology Microsoft themselves made obsolete and does not even support native. WP8 devices are not that easy to obtain in several parts of the world (like Latin America) and are more expensive than entry level Android phones.
True for WP7.x, but I really doubt for your argument on WP8. I just checked that Lumia 620 (WP8) costs HK$2298, which is very cheap already, I really wonder the performance of similar level of Android devices. (and at this price level I can't get iPhone)
Some of your points are true, true to people coming from other platforms. MSFT is not working fast enough. But some points, such as no upgrade, I would disagree because I always find people complaining/ waiting indefinitely for upgrading the OS of their Android phones. Yes I know there are 3rd party ROMs, but I won't consider that as I can never tell if someone put malicious codes in it.
Member since:2007-09-22
Member since:2006-02-25
Because there are a lot of Windows users out there? Not just Windows RT users, but Windows 8 users can also use Windows Store Apps.
Leave Windows 8 store out of this, it's too new and still has not proved itself a profitable platform. Amount of users still means nothing (Everyone has Chrome Store, yet no one uses it).
Most developers are focusing on mobile because that's where people are spending the money, so my points apply mainly to WinPhone and WinRT.
I don't understand this. If I have already made money on iOS/ Android, then Windows Phone is just another system.
Yes but it's more difficult to port and has more restrictions. If you are using a game engine or HTML5 it's fine but most people (or more like, most developers that write apps/games that matter are not).
May I know how do I get BB10 device now, suppose I am interested in developing apps for it using HTML5/JS?
Find a blackberry rep, they give away alphas of their phones to developers or playbooks for free. They'll likely be at GDC.
As I remember, WP8 supports C++. There are a lot of game engine have been already/ will be ported to WP8.
Game engines help the small companies, but usually developers that write the most complex games roll their own engine.
The third and final WWDC product I want to talk about is - of course - OS X 10.9 Mavericks. While iOS 7 was clearly the focus of this year's WWDC, its venerable desktop counterpart certainly wasn't left behind. Apple announced OS X 10.9 Mavericks, the first OS X release not to carry the name of a big cat.
We already talked about iOS 7 yesterday (after a night of sleep, it's only looking worse and worse - look at this, for Fiona's sake!), so now it's time to talk about the downright stunning and belly flutters-inducing new Mac Pro. As former owner and huge, huge, huge fan of the PowerMac G4 Cube - I haven't been this excited about an Apple product since, well, I would say the iMac G4. This is the Apple I used to love.
Apple held its big keynote event thing at WWDC earlier this evening, but since I was away with friends I've had to read up on it later in the evening. The company announced iOS 7, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and they gave a preview of the new Mac Pro. Especially the Mac Pro impressed me, and while iOS 7's new Holo/Metro-inspired theme looks messy and garish to me, I do commend Apple for finally breaking the mold. This news item will focus on iOS 7 - I'll dive into the Mac Pro and OS X 10.9 tomorrow (it's late here now).
And yes, the PRISM scandal is far, far from over. More and more information keeps leaking out, and the more gets out, the worse it gets. The companies involved have sent out official statements - often by mouth of their CEOs - and what's interesting is that not only are these official statements eerily similar to each other, using the same terms clearly designed by lawyers, they also directly contradict new reports from The New York Times. So, who is lying?This story is getting bigger and bigger. Even though most Americans probably already knew, it is now official: the United States government, through its National Security Agency, is collecting the communications and data of all American citizens, and of non-Americans using American services, through a wide collaboration with the large companies in technology, like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and so on. Interestingly enough, the NSA itself, as well as the US government, have repeatedly and firmly denied this massive spying on Americans and non-Americans took place at all.Ah, patents - the never-ending scourge of the technology industry. Whether wielded by companies who don't actually make any products, or large corporations who abuse them because they can't compete in the market place or because they're simply jerks, they do the industry a huge disservice and are simply plain dangerous. According to The Wall Street Journal (circumvention link), president Obama is about to take several executive actions to address patent trolls - which may seem like a good idea, but I am very worried that all this will do is strengthen the positions of notorious patent system abusers such as Apple and Microsoft.
With version 13.05, the developers of the Genode OS Framework take measures to ensure that Genode continues to scale well with a growing number of users and the steadily broadening platform coverage. Further highlights are the improved SoC support for Exynos 5, OMAP4, Raspberry Pi, i.MX, and new components for realizing headless systems.At the D11 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again took the stage to be interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. While most of the interview can be replicated by picking and reading 10 random Apple fanblog stories - there were still a number of very interesting things that warrant some closer scrutiny.
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Member since:
2006-02-25
You are totally missing the point. It's all about incentive. But i'll still reply to your answers to make my point clear.
I will need to buy a Mac computer to write apps for iOS (iPhone/ iPad) too. Mac is expensive to me. Perhaps you're already using Mac already so the cost to purchase Mac becomes zero, but I'm not.
Apple only had to make a few developers rich to generate incentive for everyone to make iOS apps and games. Microsoft is late the the party and their platform so far offers very little benefit compared to iOS or Android, so why should developers care? They need reasons to care, not obstacles.
However, I haven't heard that Apple/ Google give me free iPhone/ Android phones for development, I wonder if this also makes Apple and Google giving you the worst developer support.
Because Microsoft is not Apple and is not Google. Apple (willingly or unwillingly) attracted developers by making sure they earn a ton of money at first. Google made Android development extremely accessible and their entry level phones are cheap. Blackberry doesn't have either so they gave money and devices to developers.
Microsoft sat on their ass and did nothing, so developers mostly don't care.
I can't answer this as I don't have game development experience and benchmarks on hand.
You are again missing the point. It's not about performance, it's about ease of porting. Developers love learning new platform and getting their code to run on them. It's a neat challenge, except for the fact that their code has to be almost completely rewritten for Windows Phone because the APIs differ way too much (Microsoft Propertary vs Standards). Blackberry is trying to make sure that developers can port their games easily by supporting Flash, C++, Java, ObjC, OpenGL, etc. Microsoft, again, Isn't doing anything.
Last time I checked Lumia 620/ 7xx phone are relatively cheap compared to other Android/ iPhone. May be it is just in my city, but I feel weird when people happily pay for their new iPhone 5 (HK$5xxx at least) but say that it is expensive for Windows Phone (HK$25xx for Lumia 710 and HK$39xx for Lumia 820).
Anything less than WP8 is unusable for development or porting. It relies on technology Microsoft themselves made obsolete and does not even support native.
WP8 devices are not that easy to obtain in several parts of the world (like Latin America) and are more expensive than entry level Android phones.
So I hope I made my points clearer. As a developer, Microsoft is clearly doing things wrong and making the same mistake that they do all the time. It's like, they seem to think that sitting on their asses is enough and that users and developers will just be attracted to their products because they have the powerful Windows brand attached to it, while in reality it's quite the opposite.