Yesterday marked the final day for Microsoft’s MIX conference, an annual three-day event dedicated to the firm’s stable of web tools and technologies. While past years have been dominated by Internet Explorer and Silverlight, this year’s attendees were treated to a smörgåsbord of information regarding a decidedly more interesting topic: Windows Phone 7 Series, the mobile OS Microsoft is finalizing to make its stand against Android, iPhone and webOS later this year.
Windows Phone 7 Series represents a clean break for Microsoft, which has chosen to forfeit backwards compatibility with current Windows Mobile phones and applications in exchange for the agility only a 100% brand spankin’ new OS can provide. This is a rare and unique opportunity for a company that–for better or worse–is routinely forced to make architectural choices dictated by the needs of legacy code.
This is also an opportunity Microsoft cannot afford to screw up, as Windows Mobile is hemorrhaging market share to Android at an alarming rate. Following the laughable Windows Mobile 6.5.x with another OS that fails expectations will cement Microsoft’s reputation with consumers as an also-ran, and a liability to handset makers that (quite rightly) go where the money is.
Despite being unable to afford blunders in this bellwether moment, Microsoft happily confirmed three monumental ones at MIX: Windows Phone 7 Series will not support user-added MicroSD cards, copy and paste or application multitasking.
No MicroSD
MicroSD cards are the de facto standard when it comes to giving users the ability to expand the capacity of their smartphone. Coming in sizes ranging all the way up to 32GB, the thumbnail-size memory cards are a great way for customers to inexpensively carry more music and pictures on their phone. Microsoft, however, has strictly forbidden them in the laundry list of specs handset makers must follow to receive a Windows Phone 7 license.
“Windows Phone 7s won’t support user-replaceable memory cards…” PC Magazine wrote of an interview with Charlie Kindel, the exec in charge of developer relations for Windows Phone 7.
“Microsoft will work with OEMs to make sure that phones have enough storage for media and 3D games, but there will be no MicroSD cards for your music. Some phones could have a MicroSD locked under the battery, but it won’t be user-replaceable.”
I have grappled with the reasons that might have inspired this decision, but can think of none that aren’t specious or unfriendly to customers:
- Consumers don’t understand MicroSD.
- Forbidding MicroSD allows smartphone makers to charge more for a device with greater onboard memory.
- Microsoft doesn’t think users need all that much storage.
- The sleek profiles Microsoft wants of Windows Phone 7 handsets won’t accommodate MicroSD slots.
- MicroSD cards are frequently used in device hacks that Microsoft may be looking to avoid.
I’m sure onboard memory will be sufficient for most, but Microsoft desperately needs to attract the vocal and savvy for free proselytizing. These customers can easily reach the limits of even the most capacious onboard memory and will loudly voice their displeasure for being unable to add more (if they have not already been dissuaded).
Bad move, Microsoft.
No copy and paste
Engadget confirmed on Tuesday via a Q&A session at MIX10 that Windows Phone 7 Series devices will not support “clipboard operations,” which is fancy speak for cut, copy and paste. Microsoft maintains that most users, even Office Mobile users, are not likely to need copy and paste functionality. In lieu of clipboard ops, Microsoft claims that users should be satisfied by a text handling API, which can launch appropriate programs when it detects phone numbers, URLs or addresses.
Will Office users not need to copy and paste? Will email users find no reason to copy something to SMS? Will users never want to copy an address from email to a note on their phone? No, no and never, according to Microsoft’s Todd Brix, who said during an interview with Engadget that users “don’t do that” when asked about copying and pasting blocks of text.
More politically, I imagine that a company in dire need of a smooth and powerful launch would steer well clear of the brouhaha Apple brought on its head with the iPhone’s long-time ban on copy and paste.
No multitasking
Multitasking is the proverbial line in the sand for most smartphone buyers. Where the iPhone camp seems willing to put up with their one app world, Android and webOS faithfuls are completely repulsed by an OS that can’t run applications in the background. Given the rate at which Windows Mobile is losing share to Android, you’d figure Microsoft would look to win back users by mimicking one of the platform’s most-lauded features, but that is not the case: Microsoft has plainly stated that third-party applications cannot run as a background process.
Like the iPhone, Windows Phone 7 Series will allow its own applications to run in the background. For example, users will be able to listen to music on the Zune software while browsing the ‘net. When it comes to third-party apps, however, they will simply be put in an idle state Microsoft is calling “dehydrated;” when the user wants the app back, the program will be “rehydrated” and return to where it left off.
Here’s the kicker: If Windows Phone 7 Series is suddenly low on resources, it will simply terminate third-party tasks without warning.
You can now abandon any sugarplum dreams you had about listening to Pandora while browsing the web or following a GPS app.
Final thoughts
Windows Mobile has long been considered an antique in light of the ultra-modern offerings from Palm, Apple, Google and, hell, even RIM. Microsoft also didn’t do itself any favors with the 2009 launch of Windows Mobile 6.5; people expected reinvention, not a life support release that essentially tossed a coat of paint on a clunker well past its prime.
Finally presented with a golden opportunity to offer that reinvention, however, and Microsoft is off playing “monkey see, monkey do” with Apple, an entrenched competitor they can never hope to beat by imitation.
An old proverb comes to mind: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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