Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7 in U.S. and pretty much nobody shows up

[fehhkk]

Looking at some of the videos of the UI flow for WP7, it's really, really nice. Looks like the Zune HD interface, with Apple's trickery for the swiping and scrolling.

Compare to what Windows Mobile used to be, this is a huge step.

 

[maflynn]

I think it will take a long time for Microsoft to truly catch up to Apple in the smartphone market

How long did it take android to catch up, a year, two? I don't think it will take too long.

Microsoft has lined up multiple carriers and multiple phones, like android. It won't be long before it catches up.

 

[KeriJane]

Why all the LTD bashing?

Anyhow, the articles do tend to suggest that WinPhone 7 or whatever flopped on opening day. No lines other than to snag freebies.
It's exactly as the title of the thread indicated!

Indeed, why no lines? Apple gets lines. Motorola USED TO get lines. Even Android gets lines. You'd think they would stage a few lines just for publicity. Hardly anyone would notice all of the Microsoft Store shirts.

So, it may well be MS's first Great Phone OS. Good For Them. It's about time.
After how many tries? How many updates will it need to be useable?
Why weren't the last several attempts fantastic? They should have come out with an iPhone killer by now. Or at least a Droid killer.

OK, so who did the Out-Of-Focus copying machine know as Microsoft borrow from this time? Nokia? Motorola? Android? Blackberry? Palm? Apple?
Could they have done it ALL BY THEMSELVES?


So, could one of the people who earlier expressed great interest in this astounding new phone technology please keep us poor, reclusive Apple Cultists informed of Windows Phone 7's incredible greatness? After you've used it for a few days or so. It's bound to be so much better than.... ummm... well, something!

That is if I may be so bold as to assume that I counted at least some people here that have or are going to order this latest wonder from MS. I can hear the clang of discarded iPhones already! Free yourself from The Jobsian Walled Garden of Doom!

Seriously, Microsoft needs to work on their product launches! I still get the silly giggles thinking about Windows Seven home parties. Who makes this stuff up for them? Apple?

It's LTD Appreciation Day,
Have Fun,
Keri

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Perhaps there were no lines because there was no stock. If there's no stock, there's no reason to wait in a line. I went called a few stores, all who didn't have any stock. I ended up calling AT&T for mine. I'll let you know how it is, when I get it... tomorrow I hope?

 

[Mike225]

Why all the LTD bashing?

Anyhow, the articles do tend to suggest that WinPhone 7 or whatever flopped on opening day. No lines other than to snag freebies.
It's exactly as the title of the thread indicated!

Indeed, why no lines? Apple gets lines. Motorola USED TO get lines. Even Android gets lines. You'd think they would stage a few lines just for publicity. Hardly anyone would notice all of the Microsoft Store shirts.

So, it may well be MS's first Great Phone OS. Good For Them. It's about time.
After how many tries? How many updates will it need to be useable?
Why weren't the last several attempts fantastic? They should have come out with an iPhone killer by now. Or at least a Droid killer.

OK, so who did the Out-Of-Focus copying machine know as Microsoft borrow from this time? Nokia? Motorola? Android? Blackberry? Palm? Apple?
Could they have done it ALL BY THEMSELVES?


So, could one of the people who earlier expressed great interest in this astounding new phone technology please keep us poor, reclusive Apple Cultists informed of Windows Phone 7's incredible greatness? After you've used it for a few days or so. It's bound to be so much better than.... ummm... well, something!

That is if I may be so bold as to assume that I counted at least some people here that have or are going to order this latest wonder from MS. I can hear the clang of discarded iPhones already! Free yourself from The Jobsian Walled Garden of Doom!

Seriously, Microsoft needs to work on their product launches! I still get the silly giggles thinking about Windows Seven home parties. Who makes this stuff up for them? Apple?

It's LTD Appreciation Day,
Have Fun,
Keri

You managed to say nothing in all of that. Bravo.

 

[wordoflife]

I kind of feel bad for Microsoft that their sales sucked so far, but honestly, the UI looks very amateur and limited. I know it works smooth and stuff, but I can't do half the things my iPhone can do. It's almost like a dumb phone for me, and IMO, its certainly not of any "business" material.

You're gonna have to work harder than that, Microsoft.

 

[KeriJane]

Perhaps there were no lines because there was no stock. If there's no stock, there's no reason to wait in a line. I went called a few stores, all who didn't have any stock. I ended up calling AT&T for mine. I'll let you know how it is, when I get it... tomorrow I hope?

So far as "No-Stock=No Line"? Can't say I believe in that effect. Didn't seem to clear our local Apple stores when the iPad came out.

Oh, and thank you for volunteering an upcoming WP7 review.

Have Fun,
Keri

 

[renewed]

I want to go check out a Windows 7 phone at AT&T. Looks pretty awesome to me and with my recent purchase of a xbox 360 and my soon to be purchase of a windows laptop (which I need advice with) I think it'd be a neat phone to go back and forth with.

 

[garybUK]

Windows Phone 7 hasn't been a flop, infact it's sold out in the UK seems to be doing very well, maybe those who are disillusioned with all the faults of the iPhone 4 (Antennae, Glass breaking, Basic alarm functions not working) and trying something new?

 

[roadbloc]

I have nothing flattering to say about the Frauds over at Microsoft either.
PS. Microsoft: Where Pure Evil meets Complete Idiocy

Words cannot describe how... unbelievable them comments are.

 

[*LTD*]

Unfortunately Neowin (Windows fansite extraordinaire) is reporting the same:

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-phone-7-sales-underwhelm

As well as:

http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/20808-windows-phone-7-sales-unimpressive

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10916575/1/microsoft-sells-40k-windows-7-phones.html

Not a great start. The problem seems to be Android proliferation. We already have a commodity handset maker (Android) as well as a Premium handset maker that drives the industry. Then there's RIM. I'm not even counting Nokia. Is there room for a fourth player that didn't introduce anything we haven't already seen? And it's certainly nothing revolutionary. Seems at this point WP7 is an answer to a question no one asked. Zune-like, MS enters into the game far too late with nothing compelling.

Yes, it's still early. We all know that. But this isn't three years ago. The market was very different even when Android was just gaining momentum. Today, however, we have entrenched players and MS might very well get lost in the crowd. This release was a huge snoozer, at a time when MS (and Ballmer especially) could least afford it.

Yes, pretty much nobody showed up for MS' big re-entry into Mobile.

 

[netdog]

Personally, I love the way that MS has rethought the homescreen.

Their informative flexible display certainly beats a screen full of program icons with a few red indicators on apps.

The Windows 7 phone shows a lot of promise. I hope that they're paying attention in Cupertino and really step up their interface game. They need to.

 

[maflynn]

Personally, I love the way that MS has rethought the homescreen.

I run hot and cold on that. I think its a bold move, but I love the idea of how I customized my homescreen on my droidx. I have a good balance of icons, widgets and empty space to make a visually pleasing home screen.

The Windows 7 phone shows a lot of promise. I hope that they're paying attention in Cupertino and really step up their interface game. They need to.

I don't see apple making any major changes to the UI. They seemed to be locked into the current setup. They had an opportunity to update the UI in iOS 4 as they introduced multitasking but instead they opted a more or less kludgey implementation of a task manager

Given the flexibility that android and now MS have on the screens, its in apple's best interest to keep ahead of the curve, but like most things lately, they seem to be more content on playing it safe and not taking chances.

 

[Badradio]

Maybe the lack of lines says more about the target market than the product; I was a week out of contract and wanted a Windows Phone, but wandered into the Vodafone store at the weekend when it was convenient. No matter how good a phone is, I'm not wasting time queuing for one. Better things to do.

I got the LG Optimus 7 and have been using it a lot for 5 days now. It's my first smartphone, so most of the things I like probably apply to the iPhone too, but my highlights are:

• Not spotted a single bug (reliability is a big deal for me)
• The multitouch is very accurate and responsive
• The UI is amazing. So many nice touches, such as the faux-paralax scrolling in apps and the hubs
• Full-screen apps. I find iOS too heavy on the window chrome - I definitely prefer the Windows style
• The People hub - combining Facebook integration with your contacts is genius, but I'd like to see Twitter in there in an update (although the Twitter app is really good)
• Office Mobile - awesome, and included at no extra cost
• XBox Live - I'm not a big gamer, and don't have an XBox, but the integration looks to be very deep and will attract a lot of XBox users
• The back button. This, IMHO, is the one thing the iPhone is missing. Notifications turn up at the top of the screen, and you can hit them or ignore them, but if you click through, you can go back to whatever you were doing. I know WinPhone 7 doesn't have multitasking, but with the back button, I can't see a situation where you'd need it.
• Bing Search. The search button calls up the Bing search, which searches the web, location-aware local hits, and your phone contents, all listed in columns you can swipe between. Very intuitive and attractive.

Lowlights:

• The main list of apps/tiles is one long, alphabetised list, which is becoming a pain and I've only bought a few apps. There needs to be some nesting.
• You can't specify a time limit on locking - just 4 very short time limits to choose from
• The battery life is low - about 36 hours - but I hear this is comparable with the iPhone. And I have been hammering it.
• Too much compression on photos on the highest setting, but hey, it's a phone camera.

I think that's it for negatives, but I'm sure I'll find more. The Zune marketplace is a pain as any DRMd tracks are unplayable in iTunes, but non-DRMd tracks are mp3, so you can just drag them off the phone into iTunes. Plus the Zune marketplace let me buy a track, for 59p, that's album-only on both ITMS and Amazon, so I kind of like them right now.

Steve

 

[roadbloc]

Yes, pretty much nobody showed up for MS' big re-entry into Mobile.

No-one has denied that. Great, no-one showed up. Big deal. Doesn't stop the phone being potentially awesome does it?

 

[belvdr]

I like LTD. He stands for something and doesn't back down.
I have nothing flattering to say about the Frauds over at Microsoft either.

Then you should like Microsoft too, as they stand for something (different based on who you ask) and don't back down. Frankly, their console is much better than any gaming device Apple offers (again personal opinion here).

 

[*LTD*]

Then you should like Microsoft too, as they stand for something (different based on who you ask) and don't back down. Frankly, their console is much better than any gaming device Apple offers (again personal opinion here).

Apple rules mobile gaming with iOS devices. Mobile is where everything is happening. It's the biggest growth industry in tech right now and for the foreseeable future.

Apple doesn't make a console. I'm not sure what you're getting at with your comment.

No-one has denied that. Great, no-one showed up. Big deal. Doesn't stop the phone being potentially awesome does it?

No, of course not. Everything has potential. But we're not discussing that.

MS faces the worst of possible worlds right now: low demand, and potential shortages for any models (like the HTC HD7) that might become popular.

One day doesn't make or break a product, we know that, and how sales go this holiday season will tell us a lot about how MS can compete in this area. But you only get one chance at a big-splash product launch, and in this case, it apparently didn't go so well for MS. At this point in the game, with such saturation already in the smartphone market, you can't afford to start with a whimper. Especially if you aren't really bringing anything new to the table, just an interface that looks as if you tried really hard to avoid messing with others' IP.

 

[yg17]

MS faces the worst of possible worlds right now: low demand, and potential shortages for any models (like the HTC HD7) that might become popular.

You can't have low demand and shortages. If there was no demand, there'd be plenty of stock, make up your mind

 

[darkplanets]

The new phones may be amazing, but I still don't like the GUI. The tiles don't do it for me.

I'll have to try one hands on, but I don't know how much my opinion will change. Also, queue line is not indicative of potential or active sales, only an avid fan base. Most normal people won't queue opening day for a product they can just get next week without hassle.

 

[roadbloc]

One day doesn't make or break a product, we know that, and how sales go this holiday season will tell us a lot about how MS can compete in this area.

Seen as though Windows Phone 7 handsets have sold out in the UK, I think Christmas is certainly going to look good for them.

Apple rules mobile gaming with iOS devices. Mobile is where everything is happening. It's the biggest growth industry in tech right now and for the foreseeable future.

Great. How many people do you reckon use their mobile phone as their main gaming device? Very few. So the fact that Apple 'rule' on mobile gaming means very little to be honest. If Apple currently 'rule' then the Nokia 3310 used to 'rule' mobile gaming because of Snake II.

 

[OllyW]

At least they got big queues for this launch.

 

[Consultant]

Have you even looked at it? It's ****ing awesome looking and reports show it performs amazingly. Of course, you post bias news and base your opinion on nothing.

It's awesome, for a big button phone.

Do you know WiMP7 quits third party apps when you lock the screen? And generally non-Microsoft apps are laggy.

Already Discussed.
The Windows Phone 7 looks very promising. It's very immature at the moment in my opinion, but after some OS updates, I think it will be a serious contender in the mobile world.

That's not what people said when the iPhone came out.

 

[belvdr]

Apple rules mobile gaming with iOS devices. Mobile is where everything is happening. It's the biggest growth industry in tech right now and for the foreseeable future.

Mobile is not where everything is happening. Otherwise we'd have a mass exodus from the other gaming platforms (PS3, 360, Wii) to mobile devices. Is mobile gaming getting bigger? I'm not so sure. I had a PSP once and it was okay. I never liked having the screen move while I'm playing.

Apple doesn't make a console. I'm not sure what you're getting at with your comment.

I didn't say they did.

 

[Mike225]

It's awesome, for a big button phone.

Do you know WiMP7 quits third party apps when you lock the screen? And generally non-Microsoft apps are laggy.




That's not what people said when the iPhone came out.

Take some time to get up to date. They fixed the screen lock quiting about a day after it launched.

 

[KeriJane]

You can't have low demand and shortages. If there was no demand, there'd be plenty of stock, make up your mind

Don't be silly!

Of course you can have Low Demand and Shortages at the same time.

It's not as likely as High Demand with Shortages or Low Demand with surpluses.... But it's still possible and extremely likely under the following conditions:

1- An outside vendor is contracted to build a device featuring the newest version of a previously unpopular feature, like an OS.
The vendor does not wish to be stuck with boatloads of products that cannot be sold AGAIN so they produce as few as possible. Then the very low demand picks up slightly and Presto! Low Demand with Shortages.

Or

2- There is a shortage of critical components, so the companies involved cannot produce very many. Happily, demand is poor anyway.

Or maybe,

3- Production is high, but the devices cannot reach the market for some reason or other. Like maybe the appropriate officials didn't receive their bribes.
This is seldom a problem with MS..... They're good in this department.


I love your new sig!
It makes it easy to spot the Microsoft Store employees.

Have Fun,
Good News! LTD Appreciation Day has been extended and is still in force.

Sent from my iPad,
Keri