When it comes to smartphones, Windows Phone doesn’t exactly lead the pack.
Despite its somewhat lagging popularity compared with iOS and Android, it is still a very capable platform that I personally think would have made a great tablet OS.
Of course we all know that Microsoft instead choice to take the slightly-more resource hogging Windows 8 route with its tablets.
Overall I think Windows 8 is shaping up to be quite capable, but for WP users it has to somewhat seem like Microsoft build this great mobile platform and then shortly after decided, “We have more important things to worry about than Windows Phone”.
This becomes even more true when you constantly hear about rumors suggesting that in time the CE core that makes up Windows Phone will be replaced with Windows 8’s NT core.
Whether this is true or not, it has to somewhat frustrate fans of the mobile platform that hope to see the WP experience for years to come.
Now, more anger comes Microsoft’s way with Windows Phone’s most recent update, 8107. The update adds a few new changes such as bug fixes, syncing problems with Google Gmail, and other fairly minor changes.
So what is so frustrating to some users about this new update?
It isn’t really the update itself, its that Microsoft has elected to no longer detail out information regarding which updates your WP model will get and when through its “Where’s My Phone Update Site”.
This means that if you want to know if you are going to get an update you either have to contact your phone maker or your cellular provider, or just wait and see.
So why remove this highly detailed list that lets users know when updates are coming? Honestly, with Windows Phone growing in model and country availability it is just becoming a tad bit too difficult to keep such information up.
Now Microsoft simply says that its updates are available upon carrier request.
While some users are sore about this, I understand that it just isn’t feasible anymore. This is the same story with Android, so really there is no real reason to complain. Sure, updates are seamless with Apple but they only have a few models to worry about.
The bigger picture is why doesn’t this problem exist on Windows (NT-based)?
I suspect it has largely to do with cellular carriers and restrictions, but why do specific model vendors get the right to decide which Windows Phone updates it can or can’t have, when they don’t have this same level of control on Windows 7?
If it does have to do with cellular technology, will this be a problem with 4G-enabled Windows 8 tablets as well? It makes you wonder just a little.
That being said, do I really think that Microsoft is abandoning users by removing the list or even pushing support to Windows 8? Not at all, even if some users might unfortunately feel this way.
Microsoft is doing what it must to stay competitive and relevant in a world that is strongly shifting in a very mobile direction.
How does this work out for Microsoft in the long run? We can only wait and see. Will Windows Phone get the NT core or will CE support stick around for many years to come?
Again, I can’t say for sure, though I do speculate that eventually the CE core will be phased out. That being said, it doesn’t mean that phones will run the full version of Windows, just something based on the NT core.
What do you think? Share your thoughts below.
