RIP, Windows Phone

Megalith

Megalith

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Windows Phone 8.1’s mainstream support has ended today, and many are treating this as the unofficial end to Microsoft’s mobile effort: while Windows 10 Mobile exists, more than 70% of Windows Phone users are still running the outdated OS (MS requires most 8.1 users to install the Upgrade Advisor app on their phone in order to upgrade to W10 Mobile). An extended support period may still be on the table, however.

Mainstream support for Windows Phone 8.1—the last version of Microsoft’s mobile platform that was worth a damn—ends tomorrow. A moment of silence, please. As Microsoft’s support website notes, Windows Phone 8.1 support ends on July 11, 2017, more than 36 months after this product version was released, on June 24, 2014. That meets Microsoft’s contractual obligations, and it will no longer supply any updates available, including security updates.
 
A good attempt but in the end Microsoft market place was why it didn't take off. That and it's menu system reminded me of the crop we used to have to deal with with blackberrys, if you didn't know the os you would spend a lot of time looking for simple things all over the place because it just wasn't in the obvious place when you went to look for it, Like apn settings.

Here is hoping that their next attempt (there will be one) will be better received.
 
Windows phone ended for me with 6.5. Never really cared for the tile system.
 
They should have bought out the Ubuntu Edge I.P. lock, stock, and barrel, done a really nice version of Windows Mobile for it, rebranded it The Surface Phone (I mean really, LOOK at that Ubuntu Edge and compare that device with the original Surface tablet and tell me it's not a "Honey, I Shrunk The Surface" device), packed it full of the best smartphone hardware that existed, sold it for a good price and it would have made a dent in the market but no, Microsoft, you chose not to take my advice and now your phone division is basically looking for new jobs and you've tossed a billion or two dollars literally out the window so whatever, don't ask me for advice ever again. :)
 
TwiceOver said:
I really liked the Live Tiles. Sad that it really never took off. IOS is too expensive and Android is so clunky.
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I totally agree which is a bummer, I had to switch to an Android device. :( I still have my Lumia 950 and it is far more integrated than the fragmented interface and settings on Android but, everything on Android just works well on the Windows 10 Mobile platform, not so much. (The 950 makes a great text, phone, Facebook, camera, email and other such stuff device. However, smart watch support is nearly non existent.)
 
ndehmer said:
Windows phone ended for me with 6.5. Never really cared for the tile system.
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Which is why there are other choices. :) For me, the live tile system and extremely well integrated OS worked well for me. On my Honor 6X, Android integration is non existent. (Of course, that could be because integration on Android is non existent. :D)
 
They should have paid app makers to port their apps. MS didn't need Nokia, just sink more money in their efforts. Thats what i think anyway.
 
Having used Windows Mobile 7, a lack of apps was the major issue I had with it. I use Google Voice and not having an official Google Voice app killed it for me, as did Google not allow EAS support on accounts after a certain date (01/30/2013).
 
Windows who?

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face2palm said:
Thurrott is a whiny bitch. Never put any stock into anything that guys says.
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I do not agree with the whiny part but, wishy washy would be more like it. (At least as far as Windows Mobile goes, anyways.)
 
MS screwed themselves with windows phone 7. windows ce compatibility was dropped and the interface sucked compared to the skinnability of windows mobile 6.5
 
I was always hoping in the back of my mind that the Windows Phone ecosystem would take off and go. I can think of many uses for continuum in my normal workflow that would make telecommuting a much simpler task. That said, I guess I'm part of the problem because I'd never actually spend any money on an ecosystem with no apps; I was content to sit on the sidelines and wonder what-if.
 
Surface is next they way they insist on dragging along the worlds worst Avastar WiFi/Bluetooth every generation, having constant sleep/resume/battery issues, and 100% not leveraging the brick and mortar Microsoft store network for service, and business support.

The second something hits parity with O365 for workplace usage they are going to be dropped like a hot potato. Customers remember how you treated them like garbage.
 
Dockable phone that can be your work computer running a desktop Win 10 in docked mode and a real app store and people would buy WP.
 
kirbyrj said:
Dockable phone that can be your work computer running a desktop Win 10 in docked mode and a real app store and people would buy WP.
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In other words a work PC 50000% more likely to be dropped in the shitter or left at the bar or in the back seat of a taxi cab. IT departments are just clamoring for that right?


Not even considering that a phone running on a magic alien UFO CPU and Microsoft giving up on the 30% app store profit skim. I'm not sure which of those is going to happen first.
 
She was a good OS. I liked better than iOS and Android but MSFT just wouldn't properly push and support it. :(
 
gunbust3r said:
In other words a work PC 50000% more likely to be dropped in the shitter or left at the bar or in the back seat of a taxi cab. IT departments are just clamoring for that right?


Not even considering that a phone running on a magic alien UFO CPU and Microsoft giving up on the 30% app store profit skim. I'm not sure which of those is going to happen first.
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IT departments exist to serve the company. If the company is better served by a phone/computer hybrid the IT department is going to have to deal with it.
 
gunbust3r said:
In other words a work PC 50000% more likely to be dropped in the shitter or left at the bar or in the back seat of a taxi cab. IT departments are just clamoring for that right?
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Considering at that point it would likely mean readily available azure and office 365 for business integration, and with MDM forcing appropriate backups... why would IT give a crap? If anything it'd be easier to deal with, just assign a new device to them and then they login, not exactly a big deal. As far as the issue of constantly replacing devices, that's going to be a matter that IT should bring forward to the managers of the employees who keep losing them, just as IT would do for employees that keep destroying laptops, tablets, or whatever else.

Hell, a lot of IT departments already handle company mobile devices anyway, so eliminating the specific workstation(rather, it just being a dock effectively) would alleviate even more management from the IT perspective since they'd be managing one device instead of two.
 
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