or a bunch of tiny pictures of your facebook friends...
Need to stress that a little more! Because 'tiny pictures' is a understatement. It doesn't look bad when the image is 300% actual size... Show that tile at actual size in a photo with five facebook friends and let's see how distinguishable they are and how well you can make them out without pinch to zoom!
As much as I hate Microsoft and have the lowest opinion of their design chops, these look like credible competitors to me. They are striking right at Apple's achilles heel with these things and I would expect that unless the actual user experience on the hardware is shite (and early reviews are that they are actually pretty slick BTW), that they will gain a lot of traction. Apple is focussed like a laser on the consumer as a sort of target to sell media to. Their offerings in terms of productivity however, are minimal, beta-esque and fraught with usability problems. This is the main weakness of the iOS platform IMO and Microsoft is going for the jugular here.
The whole "tiles" metaphor seems junky and clunky to me, but people will put up a lot to get the integration and because a lot of the views Microsoft is giving on your data with these phones is actually useful as opposed to the iOS way of doing things. Business users, and anyone who actually does work on their phone will gravitate towards these kinds of devices until Apple gets their finger out and decides to make phones or tablets for that part of the market (if they ever do).
Is it not true that BB and Microsoft both have lost market share to Apple in the business sector - despite their perceived productivity prowess?
With the SDK, companies do not have to rely on Apple. They can create their own productivity tools. Which tablet dominates the landscape if not the iPad?
I agree that the WP7 looks quite credible. But I think MS would be stupid to target Apple. Apple is not their rival here.
Their real target should be Android. Their goal is persuading Android manufacturers to switch to MS. And I think the way to do that is to keep pushing their "delightful" and "personal" selling points.
My concern is that Microsoft is culturally very weak at communicating this kind of message.
I'd say Microsoft's real target here is and should be RIM. They are in decline, with market share percent way below installed base percent, and if Microsoft can pick up a significant number of the pieces there they might have something. No one's going to sell their iPhone or Android to buy a WM7 device, but as RIM flounders MS could stay in the game that way.
Hahaha...Live Tiles will have the opposite effect on the 8 people that buy one of these things. Ballmer is such a knucklehead.
The UI reminds me a little of the cross media bar on my PS-3 and Bravia TV. In principal it seems logical enough, but in practice, not so much. I can't believe what a pain in the ass it is to get to the sleep timer on the TV.
I'd say Microsoft's real target here is and should be RIM. They are in decline, with market share percent way below installed base percent, and if Microsoft can pick up a significant number of the pieces there they might have something. No one's going to sell their iPhone or Android to buy a WM7 device, but as RIM flounders MS could stay in the game that way.
I agree RIM are looking weak.
But Microsoft does not sell devices to users. It's business model is closest to Android.
So it is compelled to look to Android handset makers as customers.
It will be interesting to see which platforms WP7 end-users come from.
It will be real interesting to see how Apple plans to differentiate their offering to ensure they stand apart of the sea of clones...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
One can say a lot about the WP7, but one thing's for sure, it ain't no iClone. MS really did something different here, and I for one, applaud that kind of initiative. I guess the clone spot was already taken by Android, and that WP7 had to be different or it wouldn't sell one single phone, but still, it's a good thing to see, microsoft being original...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
... and more time with their heads down looking into their phones rather than interacting with the people around them.
As such, he said Microsoft is looking to break the current smartphone convention by helping people quickly and easily find and consume data so that they can pick their heads back up and stop missing out on life's important moments.
For example, one of the core features ... -- and present them at a glance on the phones' home screen.
Psychologically speaking, that does not make any difference what phone or features you got to differentiate this. When you are looking at your phone, almost everything else falls aside of your conscious attention. Level of engagement is different across individual of course but that does not take away the fact that human cannot do more than 2 novel things at once. By continuously updating the 'tile's' content, the info presented is no longer 'attended' or learned so it is by definition a novel stimulus and therefore you are bound to look down at it rather than what MS stipulate you to do. Still, it is nice feature to have but you can no longer pretend to attend to your phone as a quick excuse in socially awkward situation since the tiles are huge.. people could see!
Also going to cause purchase paralysis. This is why Apple only sells 1-3 versions of each of their products (ie, MacBook, MBP, iMac, MacPro, etc). People know what they're getting and have a limited choice (which promotes decision making).
At least in the Android world, there is only one "top" phone at any given time.
Microsoft, I better hope you got your business buyers primed, because for consumers, this is a face-plant of a sales strategy.
It will be real interesting to see how Apple plans to differentiate their offering to ensure they stand apart of the sea of clones...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
The question on my mind is how are those 9 WP7 phones going to differentiate themselves from their sibling 'clones'?
This is something the carriers are trying to do with android, to mixed reviews...
i.e. any chance Google can pay one of the carriers to replace Bing with Google on a WP7 phone? [I didn't think so]
I look at those two rows of near-identical phones, with near identical screens, and wonder what will be the determining factor for people whose carrier allows them the choice of a few of them. Price? Some must-have feature the siblings down't have?
It won't be available software, screen resolution, or OS features... so what will it be?
EDIT: Oh yeah, and single-carrier is a US-centric idea.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
C.
I have to agree. It goes back to the comment about not having drivers as the cause of a fail due to the MS software operating on many different handsets.
IMO, one of the reasons for Apple's success both in computers and phones is that they control the hardware that runs their software and can ensure a good, consistent user experience.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
C.
Apple amazing profits are do the fact they created the "real" smart phone market. They got it right... Lots of people bought their product because their product was new and totally innovative. As a result Apple made lots and lots of money.
Now, Apple has some serious competition now with Google and Microsoft. Will the iPhone continue to be a cash cow for years and years to come? I am not so sure.
The multiple carrier question in the US is still an unanswered question. There is nothing outside of rumors that indicate Apple is going to be offer on anybody other than AT&T.
Hit or miss MS. If I didn't have my iPhone and At&t, and if I was with another carrier I would gladly try out a windows 7 phone. If I could live without multi-tasking for months or iOS 4 to be exact, I'm pretty sure I could live without cut, copy and paste.
Comments
or a bunch of tiny pictures of your facebook friends...
Need to stress that a little more! Because 'tiny pictures' is a understatement. It doesn't look bad when the image is 300% actual size... Show that tile at actual size in a photo with five facebook friends and let's see how distinguishable they are and how well you can make them out without pinch to zoom!
I disagree.
As much as I hate Microsoft and have the lowest opinion of their design chops, these look like credible competitors to me. They are striking right at Apple's achilles heel with these things and I would expect that unless the actual user experience on the hardware is shite (and early reviews are that they are actually pretty slick BTW), that they will gain a lot of traction. Apple is focussed like a laser on the consumer as a sort of target to sell media to. Their offerings in terms of productivity however, are minimal, beta-esque and fraught with usability problems. This is the main weakness of the iOS platform IMO and Microsoft is going for the jugular here.
The whole "tiles" metaphor seems junky and clunky to me, but people will put up a lot to get the integration and because a lot of the views Microsoft is giving on your data with these phones is actually useful as opposed to the iOS way of doing things. Business users, and anyone who actually does work on their phone will gravitate towards these kinds of devices until Apple gets their finger out and decides to make phones or tablets for that part of the market (if they ever do).
Is it not true that BB and Microsoft both have lost market share to Apple in the business sector - despite their perceived productivity prowess?
With the SDK, companies do not have to rely on Apple. They can create their own productivity tools. Which tablet dominates the landscape if not the iPad?
I agree that the WP7 looks quite credible. But I think MS would be stupid to target Apple. Apple is not their rival here.
Their real target should be Android. Their goal is persuading Android manufacturers to switch to MS. And I think the way to do that is to keep pushing their "delightful" and "personal" selling points.
My concern is that Microsoft is culturally very weak at communicating this kind of message.
An example of very bad Microsoft communication
C.
I'd say Microsoft's real target here is and should be RIM. They are in decline, with market share percent way below installed base percent, and if Microsoft can pick up a significant number of the pieces there they might have something. No one's going to sell their iPhone or Android to buy a WM7 device, but as RIM flounders MS could stay in the game that way.
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
Let all rejoice ... the Zune Phone has arrived ... they should have called it the iBallmer Phone XLS 700.
Ahah, not exactly true, but it was funny nonetheless
Hahaha...Live Tiles will have the opposite effect on the 8 people that buy one of these things. Ballmer is such a knucklehead.
The UI reminds me a little of the cross media bar on my PS-3 and Bravia TV. In principal it seems logical enough, but in practice, not so much. I can't believe what a pain in the ass it is to get to the sleep timer on the TV.
I'd say Microsoft's real target here is and should be RIM. They are in decline, with market share percent way below installed base percent, and if Microsoft can pick up a significant number of the pieces there they might have something. No one's going to sell their iPhone or Android to buy a WM7 device, but as RIM flounders MS could stay in the game that way.
I agree RIM are looking weak.
But Microsoft does not sell devices to users. It's business model is closest to Android.
So it is compelled to look to Android handset makers as customers.
It will be interesting to see which platforms WP7 end-users come from.
C.
It will be real interesting to see how Apple plans to differentiate their offering to ensure they stand apart of the sea of clones...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
One can say a lot about the WP7, but one thing's for sure, it ain't no iClone. MS really did something different here, and I for one, applaud that kind of initiative. I guess the clone spot was already taken by Android, and that WP7 had to be different or it wouldn't sell one single phone, but still, it's a good thing to see, microsoft being original...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
C.
... and more time with their heads down looking into their phones rather than interacting with the people around them.
As such, he said Microsoft is looking to break the current smartphone convention by helping people quickly and easily find and consume data so that they can pick their heads back up and stop missing out on life's important moments.
For example, one of the core features ... -- and present them at a glance on the phones' home screen.
Psychologically speaking, that does not make any difference what phone or features you got to differentiate this. When you are looking at your phone, almost everything else falls aside of your conscious attention. Level of engagement is different across individual of course but that does not take away the fact that human cannot do more than 2 novel things at once. By continuously updating the 'tile's' content, the info presented is no longer 'attended' or learned so it is by definition a novel stimulus and therefore you are bound to look down at it rather than what MS stipulate you to do. Still, it is nice feature to have but you can no longer pretend to attend to your phone as a quick excuse in socially awkward situation since the tiles are huge.. people could see!
7 phones? really?
sounds more like a desperate last attempt.
Instafail, whether it's 7 or 9... both are beyond the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two">avera ge person's short-term memory</a> limit (ie, between 4-7 depending on person).
Also going to cause purchase paralysis. This is why Apple only sells 1-3 versions of each of their products (ie, MacBook, MBP, iMac, MacPro, etc). People know what they're getting and have a limited choice (which promotes decision making).
At least in the Android world, there is only one "top" phone at any given time.
Microsoft, I better hope you got your business buyers primed, because for consumers, this is a face-plant of a sales strategy.
It will be real interesting to see how Apple plans to differentiate their offering to ensure they stand apart of the sea of clones...
Releasing a new iPhone once a year on a single carrier, isn't the way to do it.
The question on my mind is how are those 9 WP7 phones going to differentiate themselves from their sibling 'clones'?
This is something the carriers are trying to do with android, to mixed reviews...
i.e. any chance Google can pay one of the carriers to replace Bing with Google on a WP7 phone? [I didn't think so]
I look at those two rows of near-identical phones, with near identical screens, and wonder what will be the determining factor for people whose carrier allows them the choice of a few of them. Price? Some must-have feature the siblings down't have?
It won't be available software, screen resolution, or OS features... so what will it be?
EDIT: Oh yeah, and single-carrier is a US-centric idea.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
C.
I have to agree. It goes back to the comment about not having drivers as the cause of a fail due to the MS software operating on many different handsets.
IMO, one of the reasons for Apple's success both in computers and phones is that they control the hardware that runs their software and can ensure a good, consistent user experience.
If Apple's profits are to be taken seriously, then releasing a single product once per year certainly seems the best strategy the market has seen to date.
iPhone is only locked to a single carrier in the USA. And I think that bizarre relationship is about to end in the next couple of months.
C.
Apple amazing profits are do the fact they created the "real" smart phone market. They got it right... Lots of people bought their product because their product was new and totally innovative. As a result Apple made lots and lots of money.
Now, Apple has some serious competition now with Google and Microsoft. Will the iPhone continue to be a cash cow for years and years to come? I am not so sure.
The multiple carrier question in the US is still an unanswered question. There is nothing outside of rumors that indicate Apple is going to be offer on anybody other than AT&T.