Category: Opinion

For the past three-odd years, Apple has been telling the world a version of the truth that may not stand up to reality.  Some would refer to this as a lie.  I think that’s a bit harsh.  It’s more of a case of believing your own story.  I’m from Texas.  We have a slightly more colorful way of saying this but I’m trying to be family friendly here peeps.

With the introduction of the iPad the Cupertino company began pointing out that we live in a post-PC world where tablets will be the direction of travel for the industry.  And let’s be honest and give them their due.  They have done a phenominal job of marketing the iPad and the post-PC mythology.  But the myth isn’t quite living up to reality and all you have to do is look at the Microsoft Surface numbers for this past quarter from Microsoft to see it.  The Surface division recorded $908 million in revenue for the company last quarter.

That doesn’t sound very post-PC to me.  That sounds like people wanted a better PC experience and that is exactly what Microsoft has delivered with Surface, specifically the Surface Pro 3.

This weekend the Windows world was teased with some great headlines that Microsoft will be launching a Smartwatch or fitness device within the coming weeks.  The source of the report is Forbes which has been a reasonably reliable resource when it comes to rumors and leaks around Microsoft.  The article, which you can read here, goes into a little detail about what is expected and rightfully so points to a mixed bag when it comes to Microsoft’s track record when it comes to launching new devices into the market.

Zune?  Anyone?  Anyone?

But this same article points out what could very well be two key features of this rumored device that will set it apart from the current Android lineup of Smartwatches and from the AppleWatch set to debut next year:  Cross-platform support and greater than one day of battery life.

Yesterday, with coverage spanning the Windows centric Interwebs, Joe Belfiore posted on the Blogging Windows site that the Windows 10 Technical Preview had reached 1 million participants.  That is a significant number, especially given we are only two weeks since the announcement of the preview being available.  But it is also important symbolically as Microsoft, seemingly for the first time, is properly asking for feedback on their flagship product.  And even more importantly, they are actually listening to that feedback.

Ultimately that means we all win.

If it is indeed the case that Microsoft is listening to user feedback and shaping Windows 10 around that demand, there is no reason to think that this release will put the company squarely back on the map with consumers and, perhaps more importantly, their enterprise customers.  It is a new and different Microsoft these days and this is another clear indicator of it.

I have spent the better part of the last three weeks I have all but completely immersed myself in Windows Phone having been exclusively iOS for the past four years.  I’ve tried to turn every knob, pull every lever and use every feature not only so I can share that here but also I can get myself back into the swing of this platform.  In the middle of all this fun came Windows Phone 8.1 and then, for me, Update 1 via the Preview for Developer app.  That meant that for me living in the UK, I could sample Cortana, the new personal assistant from Microsoft.

After getting Update 1 installed on my Lumia 1320, what is the first thing I do?  I test out Cortana of course!  What’s the second thing I do?  Compare it to Siri of course.  The results?  Cortana pretty much kicks Siri to the curb.  Every time.

Dear Developers of Windows Phone Applications,

I would like to share a frustration with some of you both big and small, independents and full-blown development houses.  Update your apps for Windows Phone.

As I’m sure you are aware, Microsoft and the respective carriers throughout the world have completed the rollout of the latest update to Windows Phone, version 7.5 or “Mango”.  This update brings a host of new features and functionality to the platform including multitasking, improved live tile support and overall user functionality improvements.  It’s a big step in the right direction for Microsoft.

But now months later as I look through the Windows Phone Marketplace I find apps and reviews of those apps that point out apps that either do not work well with Mango or work but do not support the new features.  This is frustrating to say the very least.  I’ll give all of you a great example.  Netflix.  Sorry Netflix, you just happened to be the last app I tried and ran into a problem so you drew the lucky straw.  The Netflix app was released to the Marketplace on October 18, 2010 and currently sits at version 1.6.  The last update was early this year.  That means that you don’t support multitasking.  What does that mean?  If I go to another app when I’m watching a moving on Netflix, your app starts me back at the beginning of my movie.  Two hours and fifteen minutes into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this becomes rather irritating.  Trust me.

But before all of you developers point and laugh at Nextflix, many of you are in the same position.  Tripit, or more accurately your parent company Concur.  Really?  Your app is so buggy in Mango that the only way you can get it to work is to lower the complexity of your password on Tripit.  That is not a viable answer thank you very much.

DirectTV?  Listening?

There are countless others in the Marketplace that are in desperate need of updating.  Interestingly I do not see this problem in the iTunes app store.  Seems you are all able to update your apps on that platform.  Which may mean that Microsoft needs to be a little more draconian to get updates done?  Not sure but I’m betting Apple is far less tolerant of this than Microsoft.

Speaking of Microsoft.  I recall you purchasing a little company by the name of Skype.  I see Skype on Android and iPhone but… oh, no Windows Phone version.  Seriously?  Don’t tell me it’s the whole not-many-devices-with-front-facing-cameras thing because I’m not buying it.  Somehow Skype didn’t see this as a problem as far back as the iPhone 3G which, oh yeah, didn’t have a front facing camera.

To be fair, some of you have updated your apps to support Mango.  Rowi, great Twitter app fellas.  The updates are awesome and I love your Live Tile.  NextGen Reader, ditto.  Best RSS reader out there I think.  4th & Mayor creator Jeff Wilcox, keep up the great work man.

So developers, time to step up.  Update your apps to support Mango.  You’ll benefit and so will we, those who actually use your apps.

Respectfully,

Clinton

There has been a lot of press this week around the release of what had been Windows Phone exclusive apps on Apple’s iOS platform.  There is good reason.  This week Microsoft released three titles for iPhone – My Xbox Live, Kinetimals and Skydrive.  But does this make sense for Microsoft to do?  Are they caving in to make a few quick bucks (seriously, if they are planning on making big bucks with Skydrive they are in real trouble) or is this part of a larger, grander plan?  I for one think it is a little bit of both.

From a marketing perspective, having apps across multiple platforms is a good thing.  It shows that you are meeting the needs of consumers and are listening.  Microsoft is fully aware that they are the small kid in the game when it comes to mobility.  But they also realize they are the biggest kid on the block when it comes to game consoles.  Having an app like My Xbox Live on both platforms allows them to meet their biggest customer share regardless of what mobile device they happen to be using.  And for us Windows Phone fans, we still get this for free.  Apple iPhone users get to pay for it.  Kinetimals ties into this nicely as well but there is something even more important about Kinectimals that I’ll cover in a bit.

While I somewhat through Skydrive under the proverbial bus in my first paragraph, I do like the service.  It works reliably and having photos and files instantly accessible from my phone or my PC or Mac is very handy.  It isn’t nearly as powerful as Dropbox but will it always be that way?  If Microsoft positions Skydrive right it could become a serious player in Cloud storage.  Mind you, that’s a ways off but it could happen.  If they want to build such a solution then it cannot remain exclusive to one platform.  It has to be across many.  Today you can access Skydrive from Windows Phone, iPhone (thanks to the new app), PC and Mac (thanks to your web browser or Microsoft Document Connector in the Office for Mac package).  The reason that Dropbox is so successful is because you can get to it from virtually any device or platform.  If Microsoft wants to compete then they have to do at least then plus offer something different to get people to use the service.

But there is another point on Skydrive.  If they want people to move from iPhone to Windows Phone they have to have an app ecosystem that can meet the needs.  They are getting there but there are table stakes that have to be there first and cloud storage is one of them.  Fast forward a couple of years and if Microsoft has played it right and Skydrive is a serious player, the story for someone wanting to move from iPhone to Windows Phone just became a lot less problematic because all their files will be there on their new phone.

Let’s turn back to Kinetimals as my final point.  One of the big knocks on Windows Phone is that it does not have the graphics engine power to produce games to the quaility of iOS games.  On the surface this looks to be reasonably true.  I have yet to find anything with the graphic richness of Infinity Blade on Windows Phone.  But that could be changing.  Kinetimals for both Windows Phone and iOS was written using the Unreal3D engine.  For those not keeping score, that is the same graphics engine that is used by Infinity Blade.  Now this got next-to-no press this week but it is one of those quiet moments that is really critical for the long term success of the platform.  Windows Phone needs high end quality games.  There are some good ones out there but they really need a EA Mobile for example to step up and offer a Madden 12, FIFA 12 or something like that on the platform.  It doesn’t matter if you like games on your phone or not.  Others do.  A lot.  Having top level games on Windows Phone will make people who would otherwise dismiss it give it a hard look.

So Windows Phone fans, take heart and don’t be dismayed.  The release of these apps on iOS is a good thing in the long run for Windows Phone.  It may not seem like it now but it will make sense in the end.