10/23/15 update:
Original post:
@Hiphoplives4eva
Windows Phone has a new app problem
Microsoft's apps are evaporating
By Tom Warren on October 23, 2015 06:48 am
I gave up on Windows Phone almost a year ago, citing a lack of apps and Microsoft's mobile platform getting left behind.
While the app gap has always been a problem, Windows Phone is now five years old and it's still facing new challenges. Over the past year developers haven't flocked to Microsoft's platform to improve its app situation. Instead, more and more high-profile apps have actually disappeared. Mint's removal this week is the latest, angering Windows Phone fans, but it's not the first, nor will it be the last.
American Airlines, Chase Bank, Bank of America, NBC, Pinterest, and Kabam have all discontinued their Windows Phone apps in the past year. These huge apps have simply disappeared or will no longer be updated. Some companies have cited a lack of Windows Phone users, and others have remained silent, but each removal has put Microsoft another step behind in the mobile race.
It's not just third-party apps disappearing, either. Microsoft has removed several MSN apps and its popular Photosynth app, and the software maker has also killed off a number of special Lumia camera apps. Windows Phone users still don't have great Skype or Office apps like Microsoft produces for the iPhone. It's stunning that, after five years, the best experience of using Skype or Office on a phone isn't on one powered by Windows. This will change in Windows 10 Mobile, but it's not available yet.
Microsoft's Lumia sales are starting to take a hit as a result. Microsoft sold only 5.8 million Lumia Windows Phones last quarter, compared with the 9.3 million sold in the same period last year. That's a nearly 40 percent decrease, and it's not the way Lumia sales should be heading. HTC, Samsung, and Sony don't care about Windows Phone, and Microsoft still ships more than 90 percent of all phones running the OS. Microsoft is now focusing on a "more effective phone portfolio" with "better products," which will probably result in a Surface Phone. That's fewer phones catering to the small percentage of people who still want to use a Windows Phone.
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Windows Phone's dead app problem also persists. Instagram was released nearly two years ago, and it still doesn't have video support. There are many other apps, like Twitter, that barely get updated with the latest features. There are third-party alternatives for most apps, but it shouldn't take Facebook two years to get video in Instagram for Windows Phone. "Facebook is all in on Windows 10," according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, so hopefully Instagram on Windows Phone will get video support at some point in the next two years.
Zuckerberg's commitment to Windows 10 is part of Microsoft's hope that this operating system will finally turn things around for its phone platform. Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, and more than 110 million machines are already running the software. Microsoft is trying to create a halo effect so developers create universal apps that run across PCs, phones, tablets, and even the Xbox One. That's been the big promise of Windows 10, but we haven't really seen it in action yet.
Microsoft is also opening up Windows 10 to allow Android and iOS developers to easily port their code into universal apps. We heard a lot about this back at Microsoft's Build developer conference in April, but there haven't been any big app announcements yet. It could certainly help the app gap, but with Android and iOS dominating, it certainly feels a little too late to make a significant difference.
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It's easy to blame the lack of apps on developers, but they've been saddled with a platform that is constantly rebooting. Windows Phone 7 launched as a Windows Mobile reboot back in October 2010. Windows Phone 8 then launched two years later in October 2012 and existing handsets couldn't upgrade, and apps needed to be heavily updated. Windows Phone 8.1 arrived last year, finally bringing many features lacking from Microsoft's platform. Now, Microsoft is on the verge of rebooting once again with Windows 10 Mobile.
With constant Windows Phone change, the only thing that has remained persistent is a lack of apps. Windows 10 Mobile is rumored to arrive to existing handsets in December, but Microsoft still hasn't officially revealed a launch date. A lot is changing in the new OS, with different built-in apps, a new design and navigation, and Microsoft's expectation that developers will create universal apps. It's unlikely to make any difference to the fate of Windows Phone overall. It's another reset, and Microsoft can't keep hitting the reboot button forever.
Windows Phone has a new app problem
Original post:
I've given up on Windows Phone
It's clear Microsoft's mobile OS is being left behind
By Tom Warren on December 11, 2014 12:33 pm
I have a confession: I'm the proud owner of an iPhone 6. In fact, it's now my full-time device. After using Windows Phone on and off since its introduction in 2010, I've grown frustrated enough to give up and switch back to iOS fully.
I'm the resident Microsoft expert here at The Verge, and for years I've switched between Android, iOS, and Windows Phone to check out new apps and how each platform is progressing, but it's now clear Windows Phone is being left behind. I'm not alone: Ed Bott, a fellow technology writer, has also given up on Windows Phone, and Microsoft has left its loyal customers frustrated byfocusing on iOS and Android. Microsoft may have made some significant changes to Windows Phone this year with the 8.1 update, but like the many previous versions and updates I'm still left waiting for more. I'm through waiting.
Microsoft is behind in mobile in a big way thanks to the rise of apps. While Windows Phone fans will argue that the platform now has more than 500,000 apps, most of the top iOS and Android apps have Windows Phone equivalents that are severely lacking. Take Instagram for example; it arrived on Windows Phone more than a year ago without video recording support and still it's not updated with this basic feature. It's simply unacceptable on a platform that prides itself on photography and the great Lumia cameras. The irony here is that when Microsoft joined Instagram last month, the company's first post was a video.
I've always been slightly frustrated at the lack of Windows Phone apps, but as the gaps have been gradually filled, a new frustration has emerged: dead apps. Developers might be creating more and more Windows Phone apps, but the top ones are often left untouched with few updates or new features. That's a big problem for apps like Twitter that are regularly updated on iOS and Android with features that never make it to Windows Phone. My frustration boiled over during the World Cup this year, as Twitter lit up with people talking about the matches. I felt left out using the official Windows Phone Twitter app because it didn't have a special World Cup section that curated great and entertaining tweets, or country flags for hashtags.
That same sense of missing out extends elsewhere with Windows Phone. I rely on apps like Dark Sky on iPhone to give me a weather warning when it's about to rain, or Slack and Trello to communicate with colleagues at The Verge. All three aren't available on Windows Phone, and Dark Sky is particularly useful when you're at a bar and it pings you a notification to let you know it's going to rain in your location for the next 30 minutes. It lets you decide whether to grab another beer (tip: always grab another beer) or risk getting wet. It's an essential app to me personally, and it's a good example of how apps are changing the world.
Windows Phone also lacks Citymapper, which I use in London to navigate public transport. It has literally changed the way I commute, travel to meet friends, and get to work events. Without it I might not take a bus that gets me to a meeting on time, or be able to easily weigh the various transport options. Snapchat and Tinder are also missing, and while I don't use either regularly, they're both altering the way we communicate and socialize.
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Third-party alternatives often fill the void of missing official apps, but they run the risk of breaking randomly or not supporting official new features quickly enough. Rudy Huyn is one of the most prolific Windows Phone developers that focuses on these unofficial third-party apps. Microsoft recently profiled and highlighted Huyn as a "passionate" and successful Windows Phone developer, but his success just further highlights the app gap problem. Instead of attracting great indie game developers, unique apps, or photo editing software like VSCO Cam to compliment Lumia cameras, one of the top Windows Phone developers is simply mimicking official apps that aren't available on the platform. Without these killer apps, Windows Phone will continue to struggle. Even Microsoft's own apps are now available on iOS and Android, and they're often better than the Windows Phone equivalents — yet another reason to switch.
Aside from apps, I've always felt frustrated at the lack of a good Windows Phone flagship device. The Lumia 930 is too bulky and heavy, the HTC One M8 lacks a good camera, and the Lumia 1520 is simply too big for my personal use. In many ways the iPhone 6 is what I would like in a high-end Windows Phone: thin, lightweight, good camera, and well-built (just don't bend it). Microsoft is focusing on low-cost devices at the expense of a flagship Windows Phone, and the canceled "McLaren" device is further evidence of that.
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Despite these obvious drawbacks, I still love Windows Phone. New additions might come slowly, but it's clear that Microsoft has been careful to ensure that new features are added thoughtfully. Windows Phone has been engineered to ensure it runs well across a variety of hardware, something that Android traditionally struggled with until recently. There's a lot to love about Windows Phone straight out of the box, and for many, that will be enough. But apps are changing the world, and it only takes one to be unavailable to ruin the experience.
I may have switched back to the iPhone personally, but if Microsoft can get me quality apps that I care about on a true flagship Windows Phone then I'd happily switch back. Android apps on Windows Phone might be the answer, but that could just be BlackBerry all over again. Let's see what Windows 10 can do in January.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/11/7377021/ive-given-up-on-windows-phone
@Hiphoplives4eva
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